One dead after Delhi doctor crashes car into three women at road crossing

The accused doctor, a consultant at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, has been booked and arrested for causing death due to negligence and rash driving.

A sedan, that was allegedly being driven at a high speed by a doctor, rammed three women crossing the busy Rani Jhansi Road in central Delhi on Tuesday evening, killing one of them. The errant driver, Ambuj Garg, is a consultant at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and lives on the premises of another private hospital in north Delhi.

A police team nabbed the accused doctor in his car (in photo) from near the accident spot on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. (HT Photo)

A police team caught him in his Maruti SX4 near the accident spot. His medical examination did not point to drink driving, MS Randhawa, deputy commissioner of police (central), said.

Gard told HT, “The women suddenly crossed over the road divider and were in front of my car. I couldn’t have stopped even if I wanted to. I wasn’t speeding. I am very sorry about the death of one of them.”

He has been booked and arrested for causing death due to negligence and rash driving. The doctor was later granted bail. “There is no traffic junction or pedestrian crossing at the accident spot, but we will continue to probe the circumstances that led to the accident,” a senior investigator said.

The dead woman was identified as 55-year-old Sanno Devi, who worked at a thread-making unit in Sadar and lived with her two sons in central Delhi’s Kishan Ganj, about a kilometre from the accident spot.

Sanno’s son, Mitendra Kumar, a salesman,said, “My father died a few years ago. We earned very little, so my mother continued to work despite her falling health.” To cut expenses, she would walk to and from work, usually in the company of other women from her neighbourhood, he said.

On Tuesday evening, she was accompanied by Geeta Devi and Kirpali Devi, two women who makes flower pots for a living. The accident happened around 8.15pm, near Filmistan Cinema and about 150 metres from the slope of Rani Jhansi flyover that was inaugurated in October.

“We had walked across one carriageway and had crossed the road divider when a speeding silver car hit us,” Geeta (40), who sustained minor injuries, said.

The accused doctor defended himself saying the overall traffic on the stretch didn’t allow for fast driving. “The women appeared on the road just after the car ahead of me was past that spot. There was no chance to apply the brakes,” Garg said.

But Geeta alleged that the doctor chose to speed away after glancing at the victims. “We noted down the car number and alerted the police,” she said.

Police said a team was immediately tasked with intercepting the car. “We caught the doctor from near the accident spot,” an investigator said.

Explaining his reason for not stopping to help, Garg claimed that the busy traffic did not offer him a place to stop.

“I stopped at the first opportunity. A motorcyclist, too, had caught up with me by then and the police also reached the spot. I wasn’t trying to escape,” Garg said.

The three women were rushed to a hospital where Sanno was declared brought dead. Kirpali, 60, was treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries while Geeta was discharged soon.