A 19-year-old Delhi University student, identified as Aishwarya Pandey, was killed and four of her friends were injured after a speeding SUV rammed into a security guard near Rajghat in Delhi early Thursday, officials said.
The accident happened when all the friends were returning from Gurugram after celebrating Pandey’s birthday.
Pandey was admitted to LNJP Hospital and put on ventilator but succumbed to his injuries later that day. His friends, Keshav Kumar (19), Aishwarya Mishra (19), Ujjawal (19), and Krishna (18), also sustained injuries.
The police suspected that the students were under the influence of alcohol, but one of the survivors said that the accident happened when the driver, Mishra, got distracted while changing songs on his mobile phone.
Meanwhile, police said the five friends drove to Zee Town, a bar in Gurugram, on Wednesday to celebrate Pandey’s birthday and have drinks.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), MK Meena, confirmed that a case has been registered under section 281 (rash driving) and 125(a) (harmful act endangering the life or safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The accident took place when the Hyundai Venue, which was reportedly traveling at high speed, veered off the road, mounted the divider, and hit the guardrail near the ISBT intersection between the red light Shanti Van and Geeta Colony, officials said.
“While crossing the Geeta Colony flyover, Mishra got distracted while changing the song playing on his mobile phone and lost control of the car. The car collided at 5.52 am,” said a police statement.
Pandey, a first-year BA student from Deshbandhu College, had hired an SUV for Rs 1,500 and asked Mishra, a student of Dayal Singh College, to drive.
Pandey, who was sitting behind Mishra, sustained severe head injuries. Mishra, from Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah, is being treated at a private hospital. Two other friends were pulled out after first aid.
Pandey, also from Etawah, lived in Laxmi Nagar, Delhi, following the death of his parents – his father died of illness, and his mother died in a road accident in 2019.