Constable injured in accident, dies for lack of police support

"My son must have carried several accident victims to hospital. He would even get late in reaching home sometimes. But when he met with an accident, his own force did not come for his help and left him to die," said 80-year-old Savitri Devi, who lost her son Ashok Kumar in a road accident, reports Vijaita Singh.

"My son must have carried several accident victims to hospital. He would even get late in reaching home sometimes. But when he met with an accident, his own force did not come for his help and left him to die," said 80-year-old Savitri Devi, who lost her son Ashok Kumar in a road accident.

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Kumar was posted in a police control room (PCR) van. He died on the city's road due to delay in medical help after a bike accident near Dear Cantonment area. A PCR van that came to attend the call, refused to take him to hospital. On Sunday, the family filed a police complaint and demanded the guilty policemen be booked.

The incident took place on Saturday around 7.45 pm. Constable Ashok Kumar (42), a resident of Nazafgarh, was on his way to Greater Kailash on his bike to report for duty in a PCR van. He reportedly crashed into a cycle rickshaw near More Lines in Delhi Cantonment area and received serious head injuries.

A passerby, Shiv Kapoor (name changed), called up the PCR and informed them about the accident.

After 10 minutes, a PCR van arrived. Instead of taking Kumar to the hospital, the policemen asked Kapoor to take him to DDU hospital in his car.

“Kapoor insisted he did not know the way to the hospital and asked for help. The PCR van left and Kapoor took my father to Army Hospital nearby. The authorities refused to admit him saying it was a medico-legal case." Kumar's condition was deteriorating. Kapoor, then, went to the Delhi Cantonment police station and informed that an injured person was lying in his car.

“A home guard accompanied him to DDU Hospital. But it was too late. Fourtyfive minutes had passed after the accident. My father died a few minutes later,” Nitish Kumar, the policeman's son, said.

"His life could have been easily saved had the policemen acted on time. We have filed a written complaint with the Delhi Cantonment police station," Nitish said.

Even after Kapoor informed the PCR that the injured was a policeman, they did not react. Kapoor informed Kumar's family after reaching the hospital. The police said they have received a complaint and are investigating. Kumar is survived by his mother, wife Pawanlata and two sons- Nitish (20) and Ashish (18).