Delhi BMW crash case: Victim could have been saved with timely care, says chargesheet

Navjot Singh, a 52-year-old finance ministry official, who was run over by a speeding BMW near Dhaula Kuan last September, was alive for at least 15 minutes after the crash and could have been saved with timely medical care, the Delhi Police has said in its chargesheet.

The final report was submitted before a magisterial court last week.

On September 14, Navjot Singh, a deputy secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, was killed, and three people, including his wife, were injured after a BMW allegedly hit his motorcycle near Delhi Cantonment Metro Station on Ring Road.

In a 400-page chargesheet filed before Judicial Magistrate Ankit Garg, police alleged that the accused, Gaganpreet Makkad, deliberately delayed providing critical medical assistance to the victim.

It said the accident occurred around 1.30 pm on September 14 when Makkad's BMW X5, allegedly being driven at a speed of 100-110 kmph, crashed into a metro pillar near Delhi Cantonment Metro Station on Ring Road, overturned, and rammed into the Hari Nagar resident's motorcycle.

The speed limit on the stretch is 50 kmph.

"The speed made it impossible to control the vehicle. The impact, despite the BMW being one of the sturdiest vehicles, shows the force with which the victims were struck," the chargesheet said, citing a speed analysis report obtained from BMW.

Citing the post-mortem report, the final report said that the "survival time of the deceased was at least 15 minutes, details are being clarified".

The report alleged that instead of taking them to nearby hospitals such as the Delhi Cantonment Hospital or the AIIMS Trauma Centre, which were 10-15 minutes away, Makkad took the injured to Nulife Hospital in GTB Nagar, around 20 km from the crash site. It took them 23 minutes to reach the hospital.

The chargesheet described Nulife Hospital as "a small two-storey nursing home with limited facilities" and alleged that the delay resulted in the "wastage of the golden hour of trauma care."

Police had earlier claimed that an ambulance with a driver and paramedic reached the spot minutes after the crash, but the accused refused their assistance.

"No fault has been found on the part of the ambulance staff as the accused deliberately refused help and delayed medical assistance," the chargesheet said.  The final report has alleged that Makkad has "distant family links" with Nulife Hospital.

Notices issued to the hospital revealed this connection, the chargesheet said, adding that documentary evidence regarding, alleged manipulation of medical records was yet to be collected.

The chargesheet also alleged that the accused falsely admitted herself to the ICU despite sustaining only minor injuries, allegedly to mislead investigators.

The final report said that the investigation into certain aspects, including alleged manipulation of medical documents, was still underway.