On 17th May, the national capital witnessed a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) flip over and travel a considerable distance before coming to a halt, akin to a scene in an action movie. The reported vehicle was clocking 150 kmph at the time of the unfortunate incident, which took place in Ashok Vihar. The Mahindra Scorpio SUV skidded for a distance of nearly 100 metres on its roof after turning over. This accident claimed the life of a Delhi Police officer's son, aged 22 years, and injured five of his friends. The vehicle was closed off to the public by the police and resembled an opened tin can with its roof pulled back and interiors exposed for the world to see.
The deceased victim, who is said to be driving the car, was the son of BR Mann, Assistant Commissioner Police (ACP), Patel Nagar. It was near the office of the deputy commissioner of police, Northwest District, when Mann tried to save a cyclist while overtaking a truck and smashed into a road divider. In the attempt to save the cyclist, Mann jammed on the brakes, causing the vehicle to swerve and hit the divider. What followed was a scene straight from an action flick, as the car turned over and travelled 100 metres on its roof with all its occupants screaming their lungs out. It was by sheer luck that the car rolled back in upright position just before it halted. Withstanding the full impact of the accident, the roof and cargo space of the car were damaged badly while the bonnet and sides were full of dents.
A local shopkeeper who witnessed the whole accident said, "The car was travelling very fast. There were skid and paint marks from the car all over the road and the divider." Another eyewitness commented, "The scene was straight out of a stunt shooting sequence."
Mann succumbed to the terrible incident and died on the spot. Five other occupants present in the car were his friends, namely Rahul Kaushik, Vaibhav Mittal, Pulkit Gupta, Pravesh and Kamal Garg. They were all aged between 20 to 25 years and were working professionals.
A police officer reported, "Two of the men fell out of the car." They bore injuries on their chest and arms and were rushed to Hindu Rao Hospital located in North Delhi. Later, all the casualties were moved to Ganga Ram Hospital.
In another incident involving an automobile that took place on the same day, a Scorpio rendered six persons injured at Vikas Marg, East Delhi. According to the police, the driver of the SUV was a lady named Manisha Luthra, who was a resident of Kaushambi, Ghaziabad. In this incident, the SUV climbed on a pavement and ran over the people sleeping on it, all of whom were rickshaw-pullers, at approximately 2 am.
