New Delhi: Two persons were killed and two were critically injured when a speeding DTC bus, allegedly racing against another bus, hit pedestrians and multiple vehicles on a busy road in outer Delhi’s Nihal Vihar on Monday morning, prompting a mob to vandalise vehicles and set ablaze a bus.
The accident, the police said, triggered violent protests during which an angry mob vandalised buses, pelted stones and set one vehicle on fire. However, no immediate response from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was received.
The accident on the busy Najafgarh-Nangloi Road sparked chaos and tension in the area as hundreds of residents and family members gathered at the spot, alleging that two DTC buses, which had around 10 passengers onboard, were racing against each other.
The police said the driver, identified as Deepak, of the bus involved in the accident was apprehended and further investigation is underway. The deceased have been identified as Ravikant (32) and Kamaljeet (39), while a 20-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man, identified as Aman, were injured in the crash. They were rushed to Mansa Ram Hospital in Nihal Vihar, the police said.
Police sources said they are checking CCTV to confirm if the buses were involved in reckless driving or any technical malfunction.
According to government data, public transport buses on Delhi’s roads were involved in nearly 150 accidents during 2024-25, including
about 40 fatal crashes.
Police said that they received a PCR call about the accident at 9.45 am. Initial information suggested that a DTC bus coming from the Najafgarh side had rammed into several vehicles, including a scooter and a motorcycle, and also hit pedestrians on the road.
“Two people have died in the incident, while a man and a woman sustained injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikram Singh said in a statement.
He also said that two FIRs have been registered in the entire matter.
“One FIR has been registered against the DTC bus driver Deepak under charges of rash driving and acts endangering human life or personal safety and causing death by negligence. Another FIR has been registered against unidentified persons who were involved in damaging, stone pelting and torching the bus,” the statement read.
Witnesses and family members alleged the crash occurred as two buses were racing to reach the next stop first, with the speeding bus losing control while overtaking and ramming into vehicles. The incident triggered protests by around 500 locals, who vandalised buses and set one on fire. Police later brought the situation under control and apprehended the driver.