SI dozes off on wheel, runs over 3 women

A 59-year-old Delhi Police sub-inspector ran over three women sanitation workers at Delhi-Faridabad Toll Road in South-East Delhi on Tuesday morning. The policeman has been arrested for causing death due to negligence as he allegedly fell asleep while driving his car. The incident took place when the accused Rishi Pal was going to his village in Faridabad after night duty. <g data-gr-id="28">Pal</g> is posted at PCR Command at the police headquarters and is a resident of Sant Nagar in Delhi. He is due to retire in January 2016.

Six women workers were sweeping the toll road when a speeding car rammed into the barricades kept by the sweepers as an indicator to go slow. “The errant driver hit all six workers and dragged three of them for a few meters. One of them, identified as Maya (50), died on the spot, while the other two-- Shakuntala (55) and Meera (28)- succumbed to injuries and were admitted to separate hospitals. Whereas, other three suffered minor injuries and were discharged after the treatment,” a senior police official said.

The accused cop after hitting the group of women halted and made a call to the Police Control Room (PCR). A PCR van immediately rushed to the spot and took all of them to nearby hospitals. “Pal was taken into custody from the spot and has confessed <g data-gr-id="23">to  <g data-gr-id="24">crime</g></g>. He told police that he fell asleep while driving which caused the accident. He has been booked under the Section 304 (A) of IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).” 

'<g data-gr-id="39">Pal</g> was taken for a medical test to verify if he was in an inebriated state. Reports claim that he was not under the influence of alcohol,” said DCP Mandeep S Randhawa (South-East). All of them were working on <g data-gr-id="37">contract</g> with the toll plaza authority. After the accident, relatives and the co-workers of the deceased women staged a protest outside the Badarpur police station and later in the evening they expressed their anger over the incident and delay in handing over of the bodies which were sent for autopsy.