Constable run over by car near airport, critical
NEW DELHI: A 49-year-old Delhi Police head constable is battling for his life after being rammed by a car driven by an allegedly drunk driver near IGI Airport on Sunday night.
Head constable Rakesh Chander had just completed his duty and was removing barricades from the road, when he was hit by the allegedly speeding Honda Amaze car.
Promoted to the position of a head constable last December, Chander is currently posted with the IGI Airport police station after a long stint with the security unit. Having joined the Delhi Police in 1989, Chander lived with his wife, aged mother and two children.
The accused driver, Sanjay, a cab driver, was on his way to pick a passenger at the airport, when the incident happened. He was heavily drunk when he was caught, said Sanjay Bhatia, DCP (IGI Airport).
The injured policeman and his colleagues, Abbal Singh and Niranjan Patra, were tasked with manning a police picket in Andaz Hotel on the road between Aerocity to Mahipalpur from 7 pm on Sunday.
At around 10 pm when the duty hour ended, Chander was moving the barricades to the roadside, when the car, bearing a yellow number plate with UP registration, came from the Aerocity Tunnel. “The car was speeding and was being driven rashly,” alleged assistant sub-inspector Abbal Singh who witnessed the accident.
The car first rammed a barricade before hitting Chander. The head constable received injuries to his limbs because of the barricades and then fell back on his head on being hit by the car.
Chander’s colleagues, who were at a distance at the time of the accident, ensured that the driver did not escape. “Since the policeman needed urgent medical attention, the errant driver offered to rush him to a hospital,” said the DCP.
Later, he was transferred to the PCR van and rushed to the hospital even as the driver and his car were left behind with the local police for legal action. Among other injuries, Chander has suffered blood clot in brain and remained in the ICU. His condition is said to be critical.