Delhi: Girls run over by speeding mini-truck, one dead, other critical

A case of rash and negligent driving causing death was registered against Mani Kant at the Jahangirpuri police station. He was arrested and his vehicle was confiscated.

A 10-year-old girl was killed and her nine-year-old friend critically injured after they were hit by a speeding mini truck in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Saturday afternoon. Police said the girls belong to Pakistani Hindu refugee families living in a resettlement colony in Adarsh Nagar.

Divya Bharti, the girl who died.

After the accident the mini-truck driver tried to flee the accident spot. A cab driver passing by the area chased and intercepted the truck. The cabbie caught hold of the errant driver with the help of some locals. They beat up the alleged accused, identified as Mani Kant, before calling the police and handing him over to them.

A case of rash and negligent driving causing death was registered against Mani Kant at the Jahangirpuri police station. He was arrested and his vehicle was confiscated. A medical examination was conducted to ascertain if Kant was drunk while driving.

A senior police officer said the deceased, identified as Divya Bharti, was returning home with her two friends, Mamta and Kavita, after attending tuition classes. They were trying to cross a road. Kavita had already crossed the road. Divya and Mamta were crossing the road when a speeding mini truck heading towards Azadpur from Mukundpur hit them.

The mini-truck

“The impact of the hit was such that the girl fell on the road. Divya’s head came under the truck’s wheels and she died on the spot. Mamta’s legs were crushed under the truck’s wheels,” said the officer. The injured girls were rushed to a nearby hospital. Divya was pronounced dead on admission. The condition of Mamta was stated to be critical.

The families of the girls were informed about the accident. The families are Pakistani Hindu refugees who have migrated to the city from Sindh in Pakistan. There are about 50 families living in jhuggis located near Delhi Jal Board ground in Adarsh Nagar.

Divya’s father Gurmukh sells mobile phone covers at a roadside shop. She was a Class 4 student at a government school in Adarsh Nagar, police said.