78-yr-old run over, 'dragged' by car in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 78-year-old man was run over and allegedly dragged for some metres by a speeding car while he was walking on a road in Greater Kailash-I. The driver of the vehicle was arrested and later released on bail.

The incident took place on November 30. Police received a PCR call around 7pm and a team was rushed to the spot, located behind the old police station building. Cops found that the victim, Ajit Lal Tandon, had been shifted to a hospital. The hospital informed them that Tandon had been declared dead.

The spot was inspected by the district crime team. Based on the contents of the PCR call, medical report and on-spot inquiry, a case of rash and negligent driving and death due to negligence was registered.

"During investigation, CCTV footage was scanned and the car was identified as a dark grey Honda City. The accused, Tarun Arora (50), was arrested and released on bail as per procedure," said Chandan Chowdhary, DCP (South).

Arora told police that he had come to Greater Kailash-I for a physiotherapy session and was on his way home to Kalkaji when Tandon suddenly came in front of his car, Chowdhary said.

Arora runs a printing shop of visiting and invitation cards in Okhla. No previous case or any history of drunk driving linked to him was found, the officer said.

The victim's son, Arvind Tandon, who lives in Riyadh, flew to Delhi after the incident. He alleged that his father was dragged by the vehicle as his spectacles and one of his shoes were found about 80-100 feet from the spot where his body was later discovered.

Recalling his father as an active person who would often go to the park for walks, Arvind told TOI: "It's been a sad year for our family. I lost my mother to cancer this year in March and now my father has died in an accident. I spoke to him just 15 minutes before the incident, and later got a call from the hospital."

Arvind added that he wished someone had taken his father to the hospital sooner so that he could have been saved.

"I have been living abroad for the past 28 years. I don't know the reason why people here don't step forward. It was a crowded road with multiple people and cars passing by, and yet there was no eyewitness," said Arvind.