‘Swerved to avoid tree’: 19-year-old Delhi student dies as car topples

DCP (South East) Chinmoy Biswal said, “The student was rushed to AIIMS and died during treatment. His Baleno car was found in a damaged condition at the spot. We suspect he was speeding over 100 kmph at the time of the incident. A post-mortem was conducted and the body was handed over to the family.”

Police said a case has been registered against the tanker driver under IPC section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 304(a) (death by negligence) for leaving the vehicle parked by the side of the road.

Police said the incident took place when Girdhar, who had gone to have tea with his friends at Crown Plaza around 2 am, was on his way home around 3.30 am. “During preliminary investigation, we found that Girdhar lost control of the car when he swerved to avoid the tree. We suspect a truck or a big vehicle might have rammed the tree earlier in the day, causing it to fall on the road,” said a senior police officer.

Shweta, an eyewitness, said, “I live near the street where the accident took place. I heard a loud noise from outside. When I went out to check, I found a man stuck inside an overturned Baleno. I tried to pull him out… I made a PCR call and police arrived within minutes.”

Police said the car belongs to Girdhar’s elder brother, Ishan. The victim was pursuing his bachelors in physiotherapy from ISIC Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences and lived with his family in Kalkaji Extension. While his father, Anil Girdhar, runs a pharmaceutical business, his mother is a homemaker, said police.