Noida cab crash: Driver will face death due to negligence charge

NOIDA: The police on Thursday said they will book the Uber cab driver, who rammed the car into a truck in which a DU student died, for death due to negligence. The driver is out on bail.

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The cab carrying four students hit a stationary truck near Noida Sector 16 A. Kaayum Pegu, a second-year student of Miranda House, died on Wednesday at a Noida Hospital. Her other friends were injured but are not critical.

“Nobody from her family approached us after her death,” said Amarnath Yadav, station house officer, Sector 20 police station.

“We are adding more charges to the FIR. Pegu’s body was handed over to the family on Wednesday late evening after the autopsy,” Yadav said.

He said both the offences-causing grievous injury due to rash and negligent driving and death due to negligence-are bailable. For rash driving a person may be sent to jail for six months or fined Rs 1,000.

Punishment for rash driving (Section 279 of IPC) is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs 1000 or with both. However, any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide is punishable by jail up to two years, or with fine, or both.

He said the medico-legal test of the driver, Viresh, did not confirm consumption of alcohol.

An Uber spokesperson said, “We are deeply pained at the unfortunate demise of Kaayum and express our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.”

“We have taken immediate action against the driver and have suspended him from our platform. We have also extended full cooperation to the investigating authorities,” the spokesperson said.

Pegu hailed from Guwahati, Assam. Her father, Ghanakant Pegu, works with the transport department in Guwahati.