Drunken brawl, pink police booth and fatal injuries: How e-rickshaw fare dispute turns tragic in Ghaziabad | Today’s news
A 22-year-old man died after sustaining severe injuries outside a pink police box for women in Ghaziabad, with his family claiming that officers inside did not respond despite his repeated pleas for help. The deceased Rajkumar, a resident of Bihar’s Siwan district, allegedly approached the stall after an argument with an e-rickshaw driver over the fare. The incident took place in Madhuban Bapudham police station area on Sunday afternoon, news agency PTI reported.
According to the family, Rajkumar reached the pink police booth in Sanjay Nagar Sector-23 after the dispute escalated. They claimed that the main gate of the booth was locked and that the female police officers inside did not open the door despite his repeated requests for help.
What happened?
The family claimed that after waiting for almost 40 minutes without any help, Rajkumar hit the glass door with his hand. The impact shattered the glass, severed a vein in his arm and caused a great loss of blood. He was taken to hospital where he later died during treatment.
Police said Rajkumar worked as a mechanic in Ghaziabad’s Madhuban Bapudham area. On Sunday evening, he asked an e-rickshaw driver who lived near his residence to drop him at home.
“The e-rickshaw operator and its owner were sitting in the front and Rajkumar was sitting in the passenger seat with another passenger. After a dispute over the fare, an intoxicated Rajkumar started hurling abuse at the driver. An argument broke out and the e-rickshaw operator stopped at the pink booth for help,” said a police officer, according to the Indian Express.
According to the police officer, CCTV footage reviewed during the investigation showed that the e-rickshaw stopped near the pink police booth at 2:58 am. She said there were two female guards on duty at the booth at the time.
“They are untrained officers who have been on duty for only two months. The e-rickshaw operator complained to them that Rajkumar was drunk and fighting with them. The constables asked them to go to the nearest police station, just a few meters away. The e-rickshaw operator left and the constables closed the door of the pink booth,” an officer told Express.
According to her, the injured man was immediately taken to the hospital, where he died during treatment.
The ACP said that all aspects of the incident are being investigated and the necessary legal action will be taken based on the results of the investigation.
“He started banging on the glass door”
About 10 minutes later, Rajkumar returned to the pink booth and punched the wall, police said. He then began banging on the glass door, causing a piece of glass to break and cut his hand.
“Then he started banging on the glass door. At one point, a piece of glass broke and cut his hand. When the e-rickshaw operator, who was still nearby, saw it, he called an ambulance. The ambulance arrived after seven minutes. But even before that, a police patrol reached the spot and took Rajkumar to a nearby hospital. However, he died during treatment,” said the police officer.
The officer added that the doctors informed the police that Rajkumar was under the influence of alcohol and had also consumed narcotic substances.
“The doctor told us that Rajkumar was drunk and had also ingested dry narcotics. He died due to excessive blood loss. His viscera were preserved,” said a police officer.
