Kanjhawala hit-and-run, a yr on: On route Anjali was dragged, few cops seen, some lights still out

Meanwhile, Anjali’s family is still grappling with her loss — the sole breadwinner for her family of six. Her mother, Rekha, said, “Anjali always took all responsibility. I still don’t know if anyone else could be so strong and understanding. I miss her every day. She took care of me when I lost my job and when I was hospitalised for a kidney-related ailment. She was my rock. I am just living in fear now. All my other kids are young. I want them to be safe.”

Spot check: Lighting

Around 10 pm on Friday, The Indian Express visited the area near Rajni Gupta Hospital, where the victim was struck by the car, and found new lights (white and yellow) were in place for better visibility along the route, particularly on hazy winter evenings.

En route Jaunti village along the path where the incident unfolded, however, some lights installed on the divider were either non-functional or malfunctioning. A few working lights were also badly positioned and obscured by tree branches.

On the entire stretch, approximately 140 double-sided lights were placed along the divider of which only 97 were fully functional. Among the malfunctioning lights, 28 were partially functional — one out of two lights was working — and 15 were out of order.

Another 100-odd lights on the right side of the divider were mostly functional while three triple-sided lights were also installed along the divider. Most non-functional lights were between Karala and Jaunti Village — the end of Anjali’s final journey.

When asked for comment, a PWD official said: “We got the lights checked… almost all are working except some which may be affected due to being fused or a cable being disconnected. The agencies concerned with power distribution also carry out work. If there are non-functional lights, we will get them rectified.”

The Delhi government in a statement said: “Streetlights from Karala to Jaunti village are maintained by TPDDL. As confirmed by the discom, these lights are functional today (December 29)… Streetlights from Karala to Jain Nagar have been disturbed due to DJB work, resulting in damaged cables and poles. Five poles were non-functional last night and these will be made functional by tomorrow.”

While lighting along the main thoroughfare might have been addressed, colonies in the interiors remained in darkness. Murli Lal, a regular commuter to the area, said, “Lights have been put up on the main road but once shops close, the roads empty out. Colonies still don’t have any streetlights, making it unsafe for women and men alike.”

Security

A lone CCTV camera was installed in the middle of the road in front of Rajni Hospital; the remainder of the stretch was devoid of surveillance infrastructure or police presence.

Residents claimed police patrolling in the area happens twice a day. “They take an extensive round of the whole area once during the day and night,” said Deepak Chopra, who runs a restaurant. Sultanpuri and Aman Vihar police chowkis provide the closest police interface but there were no additional vehicles.

A senior police officer denied deficiencies in policing, adding that patrolling is done regularly. “We use bikes, scooters, and vans for patrolling. There are also active picket points. We can’t say anything about CCTVs as they are not under us. Delhi Police has pushed for installation of more cameras under the ‘Safe City’ project.”

Where the case stands

In April, police filed an 800-page chargesheet against seven accused: Manoj Mittal, Amit Khanna, Krishan alias Kalu, Mithun alias Arjun, Deepak Khanna, Ankush Khanna and Ashutosh Bhardwaj. While Amit, Krishan, Mithun and Manoj, who were in the car, were booked for murder, Ashutosh and Amit were accused of lending them the car and shielding them and were booked under the MV Act.

Statements of witnesses are being recorded and cross-examination will soon take place, police said.