PCR van rams into tea stall in central Delhi, owner killed

A 55-year-old Gangaram Tiwari, who eked out a living vending tea at a humble central Delhi stall, died in wee hours on Thursday after a Police Control Room (PCR) van rammed into his makeshift shop.

The accident occurred near Ramakrishna Ashram Metro station in the Central part of the national capital.

Occupants of the van, an Assistant Sub Inspector and a constable, have been suspended and an FIR registered. Tiwari’s son claimed that the cops were drunk, empty bottles of liquor were found in the van and that the duo were regulars at a drinking spot near the accident site.

The deceased, differently abled, was asleep when he was fatally hit. He had been vending tea in the area for over a decade. The Tribune correspondent, who visited the spot, found remains of the makeshift stall scattered all over the place and the structure demolished from the impact of the accident.

The cops had moved quickly to barricade the spot with a familiar yellow strip that separated the accident site from passersby.

For Shivkumar, deceased’s son, the world came crashing down today. He told The Tribune that he was yet to break the news of Tiwari’s demise to his mother, who lives in UP’s Gonda.

“I have four sisters and the responsibility of arranging their weddings and supporting the entire family has now fallen upon my shoulders. I demand strict action against the accused policemen and compensation for the family,” he said.

Shivkumar also claimed that a girl was sitting in the police van at the time of the accident and has been missing since.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Mahla refuted the claims of intoxication of the cops and said medical check-ups of suspended officials had concluded and no trace of liquor had been found.

An eyewitness corroborated Shivkumar’s statement that his father was asleep at the stall when the PCR van ran over him. Eyewitnesses added that the errant cops pointed their pistols at the nearby crowd which questioned their conduct in the morning.

The Delhi Police have begun an inquiry into the matter. The police said the driver of the PCR van accidentally pressed accelerator of the vehicle which ran over a roadside ramp and rammed into the tea stall.

The body of Gangaram Tiwari has been sent for a post-mortem examination.