Student gets seizures, isn’t allowed to drive
HORROR Eighteenyear old told police that he is epileptic, relatives claim a punctured tyre not high speed led to mishap
The DPS student who ran over four homeless men near Kashmere Gate, killing one at the spot, told the police that he was epileptic and was not allowed to drive by his parents.
On Thursday morning, Samarth Chugh, a Class 12 student of Delhi Public School (DPS), Mathura Road, ran over the four men while driving his friend’s i20 car. Chugh allegedly lost control of the car and ended up climbing on to a pavement in north Delhi’s Yamuna Bazar area .
Jatin Narwal, deputy commissioner of police (north), said that they learnt about Chugh’s condition when he himself told them about it during interrogation at the Kashmere Gate police station. A resident of Model Town-II in north Delhi, Chugh told police officers that his parents never allowed him to drive or even ride a two wheeler because he often suffered seizures, the DCP said.
However, at the time of the accident, Narwal said, Chugh did not suffer a seizure.
The car he was driving without a licence climbed on to the pavement at the Yamuna Bazar railway underpass, killing one homeless man and injuring three others, one of who is critical.
“He was absolutely fine, though in a state of shock, when our patrolling van officials and passersby nabbed him at the accident spot. He did not complain of seizures or request for medical attention,” he said.
A relative of Chugh claimed that the accident occurred not because of the car’s high speed, but because there was a puncture in the car’s front tyre because of which he lost control.
According to an officer, they initially did not believe Chugh’s claims and thought that he was trying to mislead them by citing a health problem.
However, when his family members were contacted, they corroborated his claims and produced his medical reports. His relatives said that the boy was never allowed to drive because of his condition.
“His medical reports were produced before a court but the judge did not consider it as a strong enough reason for granting bail. Chugh’s lawyers then requested the court to allow him to take his medicines with him in the jail. The court accepted the request,” said the officer.
A Class 12 student of commerce, Chugh is due to appear in an exam on April 29. His family members have told police that he often used to stay back at his friend’s home at night for group studies. On Wednesday night, he stayed back at the home of one of his classmates. Three Class 12 students of DPS, Mathura Road, start from Model Town-II in a Hyundai i20 car to reach their school. Samarth Chugh, who was driving the car, loses control near Kashmere Gate and climbs on to a pavement A shocked Chugh is nabbed by some passersby after his car stops. A PCR van arrives and takes him to custody