New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) : A 31-year-old accountant was arrested here Thursday for allegedly running his car over people sleeping on a pavement in northwest Delhi while returning home after getting drunk - killing a man, his son and a child and injuring three more people.
At 1.25 a.m, Navin Jain was returning to his Keshavpuram home from a marriage function in Gurgaon, adjacent to the national capital, in his Maruti Alto car when he lost control. The car climbed a pavement near Kanhaiya Nagar Metro station close to his house.
Police said around 15 people were sleeping on the pavement then. Jain's car reportedly ran over Deepak, 8, and Guddu, 12 and Chanderpal, 50. It also hit two brothers Harinder, 12, and Jitender, 9, and 46-year-old labourer Lala Ram.
According to eyewitnesses, Jain, who works as an accountant with a steel factory in Wazirabad Industrial Area, was heavily drunk.
“He was so drunk that he did not even realise what had happened. People had to drag him out of his car. He was roughed up,” said Shyam Lal, who was also sleeping on the pavement.
Another labourer Shiv Prasad said: “The car just zipped passed me. I was fortunate that I did not get killed. The driver was drunk and could not even stand on his feet after he was dragged out. The driver said he could not see the people sleeping on the pavement.”
Police rushed the victims to the Bhagvan Mahavir Hospital where doctors pronounced Deepak and Guddu dead. Deepak's father Chanderpal succumbed to his injuries early in the morning.
Guddu's father Lala Ram was shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and his condition remained serious till Thursday evening. Harinder and Jitender were in Bhagvan Mahavir Hospital.
Police said they had arrested Jain under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and for drunken driving.
"Jain was speeding and was under the influence of alcohol. We have charged him under the stringent section of 304 of IPC," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest Delhi) N.S. Bundela.