‘We kept calling his phone… whoever stole it kept disconnecting it…’: Kin of biker killed in accident

Piyush succumbed to head injuries last week after his bike allegedly crashed into another bike at South Delhi’s Panchsheel Park.

Piyush’s sister Preeti told The Indian Express, “He had recently turned 30 and bought a bike during Navratri... Before leaving the house on the day of the incident, he told my mother he was going to meet a friend... we kept calling his phone later but whoever stole it kept disconnecting it...” (File)

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On Saturday evening, around a dozen people gathered at CR Park’s market number 2 to remember a dear friend, an obedient colleague, and a doting son — 30-year-old Piyush Pal.

Piyush succumbed to head injuries last week after his bike allegedly crashed into another bike at South Delhi’s Panchsheel Park. This after he lay on the road for 30 minutes, with no passerby stopping to help till four people finally came to his aid. In the meantime, his phone and GoPro camera were allegedly stolen by a passerby.

Piyush’s sister Preeti told The Indian Express, “He had recently turned 30 and bought a bike during Navratri… Before leaving the house on the day of the incident, he told my mother he was going to meet a friend… we kept calling his phone later but whoever stole it kept disconnecting it…”

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She said Piyush dropped out of his engineering course to pursue his passion, filmmaking. “He worked on several projects for WHO and UNICEF and made a documentary on the life of a Covid patient during the first wave… I spoke to the doctor who treated him and he said the first 30 minutes after the incident were very crucial for Piyush as his brain stem was badly impacted and resulted in brain haemorrhage.”

Preeti said they wanted the correct facts about the incident to come out as they believed Piyush was not the one who rammed into the other person’s bike as alleged in the FIR. DCP (South) Chandan Chowdhury said the family’s allegation that the other biker, Bunty, is the offender is being investigated.

Also at the gathering was Jaya, who goes by her first name, who recalled how Piyush and his colleagues had come to her house to shoot a documentary and recalled him greeting her and asking about her health. “He was so full of life, passionate about work… a bright life cut short…,” she said.

Swarnendu Bose, Piyush’s colleague and close friend, who led the gathering, said, “If it was not for the callous onlookers who simply shot videos and didn’t bother to get our friend medical help, Piyush would still be here with us…” He added that they chose the market for the gathering as Piyush was a regular here.

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“He was an avid traveller… he used to go to hill stations with an NGO, Healing Himalayas… he was into cleanliness and ensured that dry and wet waste was separated at his house,” he added.

He said he and Piyush had made several documentaries and described the latter as a gifted cinematographer. “Piyush used to carry a bag with his GoPro, monopod, and lighting equipment… even that got robbed apart from his phone… He also used to carry a separate bag for his helmet and didn’t let anyone ride pillion on his bike without one,” Bose said.

“… there should be justice for our friend… we will again approach police,” he added.

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