Two dead, three injured in car crash on Vikas Marg

NEW DELHI: Two youngsters died and three of their friends were injured when their car crashed into a road divider and hit a lamp post on Vikas Marg near ITO early

NEW DELHI: Two youngsters died and three of their friends were injured when their car crashed into a road divider and hit a lamp post on Vikas Marg near ITO early Monday morning.

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The five friends were returning from a wedding, which was also a reunion of sorts after three years. Kashish Anand, 23, and Ayushi Gulati, 24, died on the spot. They were with Shakun, Manik and Shubhojit, who are critical.

Eyewitnesses told the police that Kashish was driving. The car hit the divider while trying to save a biker who had suddenly come in front of their car.

Family members said the five, who had studied together, were good friends and lived in different cities. Kashish lived in Haryana’s Yamunanagar and Ayushi was from Dehradun.

“This (the wedding) was like a get-together for them. Kashish had called me and said he was excited to be back with his friends. Today, the police called to say he is dead,” said Kashish’s relative.

Kashish might have been speeding since traffic at that time of day is very thin, said one of the witnesses. Ayushi was sitting next to him.

“The five were rushed to Lok Nayak hospital. Kashish and Ayushi were declared brought dead. They were taken to a private hospital by their relatives. We are probing if Kashish was drunk,” said a senior police officer.

Eyewitnesses said they saw the car speeding from Laxmi Nagar and ramming a road divider on Vikas Marg.

“It looked like the driver was trying to avoid a collision with the motorcycle. The two-wheeler raced ahead and the car fell behind. But then, suddenly, there was a loud sound. The car had smashed into the divider,” said Amit Kumar, 45, who was sleeping on the pavement at the time of the accident.

The car was mangled beyond recognition and the police had to use a gas cutter to take out Kashish and Ayushi.

Kashish, who had lost his parents a few years ago, lived with his paternal uncle’s family in Yamunanagar. He wanted to become businessman and was helping his extended family in their business.

“Kashish was popular among friends. Whenever we asked for help, he was always there for us. Kashish and I studied in the same school and became friends in Class 6,” said Pranshu Bhardwaj, a friend.

Ayushi lived with her parents in Dehradun. She was preparing for competitive exams.