Week after suffering injury in chase, head constable dies
HIT-AND-RUN Bike he was riding hit by vehicle during chase, police yet to make headway
NEWDELHI: A head constable of the Delhi Police’s special cell, who along with his colleague was critically injured in a road mishap on the Barapullah elevated corridor while chasing a suspected gunrunner last Monday night, succumbed to injuries at the AIIMS Trauma Centre on Saturday.
The deceased, 44-year-old Rajpal Kasana, had suffered serious head injuries after the motorcycle he was riding with head constable Mohit Panwar, was hit by an unknown vehicle. His helmet had come off due to the impact. Panwar also received injuries but he managed to rush Kasana, who fell unconscious due to the injuries and was bleeding, to the hospital, the police said. Officers said they are yet to make headway in the hit-and-run case.
Kasana had been awarded out-of-turn promotion for bravery in operations against various terror outfits, gangsters, Mewati gangs and gunrunning syndicates in his 21 years of service. He has been posted in the special cell since 2006 and was part of many encounters, deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.
Kasana’s body was handed over to his family members after autopsy, on Sunday. Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik and other special cell officers were present at the mortuary to pay homage to their colleague and meet his family members. His body was taken to his native village in Loni, Ghaziabad, in Uttar Pradesh, where he was given guard of honour before the last rites were performed.
“Head Constable Rajpal Kasana was a highly committed and hardworking officer. He was the epitome of discipline, dedication, devotion to duty and professional ethics. He was truly an asset to the Delhi Police,” DCP Kushwah said.
According to the police, the special cell team had, on January 14, received information that an arms smuggler from western UP would be coming from Ghazipur border side and would go to RK Puram via Barrapullah elevated corridor. The two head constable left on a motorcycle to nab the suspect. There, they spotted his car near Sarai Kale Khan and started chasing it.
“When they reached the loop of the elevated road near Sun dial, a car hit their motorcycle and drove off, leaving them sprawled on the road. Panwar rushed Kasana to the hospital where he gave up his battle for survival at 5pm Saturday,” Kushwah.