2 killed after speeding DTC bus rams vehicles in Delhi; mob sets bus ablaze

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Two men were killed and a woman sustained injuries after a speeding DTC bus rammed into multiple vehicles in Delhi's Nihal Vihar on Monday, police said.

The incident triggered protests during which an angry mob vandalised the bus involved in the accident and set another DTC bus on fire, police said, adding that the driver has been apprehended.

The deceased have been identified as Ravikant, 33, and Kamaljeet, 39, a senior police officer said.

Police said they received a call at 9.45 am reporting that a DTC bus coming from the Najafgarh side had hit a scooter, a motorcycle, a hand-rickshaw and some pedestrians on the Najafgarh-Nangloi Road.

"So far, it has been confirmed that two people have died in the incident, while a woman sustained serious injuries and was taken to Mansa Ram Hospital in Nihal Vihar," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikram Singh said.

Around 500 people gathered at the spot soon after the incident and began protesting. They damaged the bus involved in the accident and torched another DTC bus coming from the Nangloi side, the officer said.

According to DTC officials, five more buses parked near the site also suffered minor damage.

Ravikant's brother, Shashikant, told PTI that the accident took place around 9.30 am and alleged that a local hospital refused admission.

"My brother was on his scooter and I was riding behind him on another scooter. When I reached closer, I saw a traffic jam and then noticed his scooter lying on the road with his belongings scattered," he said.

"We took him to a hospital nearby but the staff refused to admit him. We then rushed to a hospital in Punjabi Bagh where doctors declared him dead," he said, adding that the family has been living in Delhi for the past 25 years.

Ravikant ran a transport business and is survived by his wife and children, he said. "We lost our parents earlier. He was my younger brother," Shashikant added.

The other victim, Kamaljeet, worked as a salesman, his relative Manish told PTI. "We came to know that two buses were racing each other when one of them rammed into multiple vehicles. He had left home to go to office when the bus crushed him to death. I got the information through the mortuary," Manish said.

Police said the situation is now under control and heavy security has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

A video circulating on social media purportedly showed a DTC bus engulfed in flames as people nearby recorded the scene on their mobile phones, with police sirens audible in the background.

Sources said around six passengers were inside the bus that was torched, but they were asked to get down before the vehicle was set ablaze.

Visuals from the spot showed extensive damage to the rear portion of the bus, particularly around the bumper and undercarriage. The bumper appeared broken and dislodged, with pieces of plastic material scattered on the road behind the vehicle.

Parts of the front portion of the bus were also hanging loose, with cables or wires dangling near the damaged section.

A scooter parked nearby was also damaged, with its front portion smashed and the rear-view mirror broken.

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said it received a call regarding a bus on fire at around 10 am. "A bus was found engulfed in flames, and the windows of some other vehicles were damaged. The fire was completely extinguished by 11 am," a DFS officer said.

Some eyewitnesses claimed that the authorities did not respond to calls made immediately after the incident. "I was passing by when I saw a bus hitting several vehicles. It also ran over a man," said Deepak Sharma, an eyewitness.

He said people at the scene pushed the bus back after the accident, following which the man was pulled out from underneath the vehicle.

"We tried calling the police and an ambulance, but no one answered. We even tried stopping passing cars to take him to hospital but no one stopped," Sharma alleged.

"Eventually we took him to a nearby hospital in an e-rickshaw. The victim was gasping for breath, but the hospital authorities asked us to take him to a higher centre," he said.

Another eyewitness said the incident led to heavy traffic congestion on both sides of the road for some time. PTI BM SSH SSJ MSJ RHL