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Dwarka SUV crash teen accused unable to cope with ‘board exam stress’: Lawyer
The driver of the SUV was caught at the spot. On February 10, the minor received interim bail to appear for the Class 10 board examinations.
A 17-year-old boy, who has allegedly been accused of killing 23-year-old Sahil Dhaneshra in a severe SUV crash in Delhi's Dwarka, is struggling to concentrate on his board examinations as he deals with “trauma” and threatening calls after the incident, his lawyer said.
Sahil Dhaneshra died on the spot after a Scorpio hit his Yamaha R15 motorcycle at around 11:50 am on February 3 near the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management in Sector 11. The SUV then struck a parked Swift Dzire, injuring cab driver Ajit Singh.
ALSO READ | ‘Son very disturbed, deep grief in family’: Father of Delhi teen involved in Dwarka SUV crash
The driver of the SUV was caught at the spot. On February 4, the teenager was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to an observation home. On February 10, the minor received interim bail to appear for the Class 10 board examinations.
Teen under ‘tremendous pressure’, around 1,400 calls made to family: Lawyer
Defence lawyer Lal Singh Thakur said the accused is finding it hard to concentrate on his board exams and is getting threatening calls after the fatal SUV crash. He argued that the minor’s decision not to run from the scene reflects commendable conduct, despite the severity of the incident.
He told news agency ANI that the whole family has remained under extreme stress and trauma until now. “Especially that child, who has to take his board exams today, he isn't able to do so properly. And he is a child with a studious background, a gold medallist. But unfortunately, an accident has had a huge impact on his life,” he said.
“On the 3rd, the board sent him to what we call 'juvenile jail'. And on the 10th, we got an interim bail so that in the meantime, his studies are not ruined. No doubt, the boy who left this world, it is regrettable, we cannot express in words the damage and loss the family is sustaining and feeling. But this child is also a young boy of 17 years who is under tremendous pressure; his family is under so much pressure that, besides all the media since yesterday, they are getting personal calls, threat calls. I feel there is so much pressure on the child that some mishap might happen to him. This is very unfortunate,” Thakur added.
He said the level of “torture” has increased, and the family has been getting calls of “threats” and “abuses”. Thakur told the news agency, “The level of this torture has increased so much that we fear the child might do something to himself. His family might do something. So many abuses, so many threats, in such foul language that I cannot show you. If I count now, there must have been around 1,400 calls to his family…”
The lawyer said the case was an accident and the teenager’s behaviour should be appreciated since he “did not flee the scene”. He said, “This boy is not someone who took the car and ran away. He did not do that. This family was not one that tried to cover up the case or manage it from somewhere; nothing like that.”
ALSO READ | Fractured skull, ribs and elbow: Autopsy report shows Sahil Dhaneshra's injuries after Delhi SUV accident
Victim’s mother says son killed by ‘reckless teen’
The victim’s mother said on Tuesday that her son had been killed by a “reckless teen” just 10 minutes from his workplace. “My son was lying on the road for 10 minutes. Help came late. I want action against the boy. He should not have been driving,” she said.
In a public appeal, she sought justice for her son and accused the minor's parents of negligence, saying he did not even hold a licence. “This is not just an accident. My son died due to their fun reel. There are already many over-speeding challans against him, yet his father did not stop him from driving. I want justice for my son. No one is safe on the road due to people like them. Strict action should be taken against them. He does not even have a licence,” Makan said, as she termed the accident a criminal activity.
“The speed with which the Scorpio is being driven is clearly visible in the reel. He was driving in the opposite lane and came right in front of the bus and performed a stunt. My son looked to the right to see whether there was space. Because there was an e-rickshaw on the left side of the bus. The Scorpio collided with the motorcycle and hit the roadside parked car. The Scorpio driver did not apply the brakes after the collision. Even a cab driver has been seriously injured in the accident. This is a criminal activity,” she said.
The post-mortem report shows that Sahil, who died on the spot, had fractured his skull, multiple ribs and his elbow due to the impact from the Scorpio SUV.
