1 dead, 1 hurt in clash involving water tanker

NEW DELHI: A violent altercation broke out on Ratiya Marg, Sangam Vihar on Sunday evening, leading to one death and another person being seriously injured.

The incident began when an auto-rickshaw broke down, and its occupants, Arif Khan aka Vishu (18), Shakeel (18), Durga, and others, were attempting to fix it. Amidst the heavy rain, a passing water tanker splashed water on them due to severe waterlogging in the area. This sparked outrage among the auto-rickshaw occupants, who began pelting stones at the tanker and vandalizing it, DCP South East Rajesh Deo said.

The tanker driver, Sapan Singh (35), tried to drive away but, in the chaos, Sahadab aka Saddam aka Shahbad a resident of Sangam Vihar, who was part of the group vandalising the tanker, came under its wheels.

Singh fled the scene immediately to avoid the wrath of the mob, Deo mentioned.

Following the tragic accident, the enraged group continued their search for the tanker driver but were unsuccessful. In their continued anger, they resumed vandalizing the tanker.

During this chaos, another auto-rickshaw driver, Bablu Ahmed, a resident of Sangam Vihar, intervened and questioned the group about their actions.

This led to Bablu being stabbed by the assailants. He was promptly rushed to Mazidia Hospital and later referred to Safdarjung Hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

Saddam was taken to Batra Hospital by his associates, where he was declared brought dead on arrival, Deo confirmed. The police arrived at the scene shortly after receiving a PCR call reporting a knife fight among a group of individuals. They are now conducting a thorough investigation into the incident, the official added.