Brother blames racing DTC buses for death of elderly parents' sole caretaker in Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) The brother of one of the two men killed in a DTC bus accident in west Delhi alleged that rash driving by the driver, who was racing against another bus to overtake it, led to the tragedy, as he mourned the death of the 39-year-old, the sole caretaker of their elderly parents.

Two men — Ravikant (33) and Kamaljeet (39) — were killed and a woman was injured after a speeding DTC bus rammed into multiple vehicles on the busy Najafgarh-Nangloi Road in Nihal Vihar on Monday morning, police said, adding that the driver has been apprehended.

The accident later triggered protests, during which an angry mob vandalised the bus involved in the accident and set another DTC bus on fire.

Kamaljeet, who worked as a salesman, was on his way to office in Khari Baoli from his home in Nangloi when the bus rammed into his motorcycle, following which he came under its tyre. He died on the spot after his chest was crushed by the impact.

His elder brother Manish said the family is struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss. “He was recently divorced and lived with our parents, who are around 60 years old, in Nangloi. He used to take care of them. On Monday morning, he left home for office like any other day, but he never returned,” Manish told PTI.

Alleging negligence, he claimed that buses often race against each other on the stretch without caring about public safety.

“They drive rashly and compete with each other just to save a few minutes. Now who will take responsibility for his death? Our parents are old and completely shattered. They cannot bear such pain at this stage of their lives,” he said.

“He is gone now and no one can bring him back, but the government should at least provide compensation to our parents, who depended on him,” Manish added.

The brother of Ravikant, the other victim, also blamed poor road conditions and reckless driving for the accident.

Ravikant’s brother Shashikant said the family, originally from Bihar, has been living in Delhi for about 25 years but the condition of the roads has hardly improved. “We have been living here for decades but the roads are still in a terrible state. Accidents keep happening but nothing changes,” he said.

Recalling the moment he learnt about the tragedy, Shashikant said he was just minutes behind his brother when the accident occurred.

“He was going on his scooter to a factory nearby where he operated a small transport business. I was also heading to work and was about 10 minutes behind him. When I reached near the spot, there was a traffic jam and I saw his scooter lying on the road with his belongings scattered around,” he said.

Ravikant was rushed to a nearby hospital but the staff allegedly refused to admit him, the family alleged.

“We then took him to Punjabi Bagh, where doctors declared him dead,” Shashikant said.

Ravikant is survived by his homemaker wife and a five-year-old daughter. “We have already lost our parents and now my brother is also gone. He loved his daughter dearly and wanted her to study and become successful. Now who will take care of them?” he said.

Family members of both victims said they were not satisfied with the police action so far and demanded compensation as well as stricter action against reckless driving by bus drivers. PTI SSJ SSJ MNK MNK