Youth, trying to escape police, run over by truck in Okhla

Jagannath’s father Ram Babu said, “After beating us up, they called the police who took us to the Okhla police station. There, Soni’s relatives including her father, Shambu were standing outside. Jagannath was with me in the police station when they signalled him to come outside. He left and they had an altercation and I saw them chasing him. He ran off and turned the bend on the road. That was the last I saw of him. And police did not allow me to leave the police station premises despite my pleas.”

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He said police should not have let Jagannath venture out of the police station. “But they did and now I have lost my son,” Ram Babu said. A senior police officer said,  “We will be able to comment on the incident only after we have taken the statements of all the accused who are absconding.”

DCP (Southeast) M S Randhawa said the police have registered two FIRs.

“One against Shambhu Lala on charges of physically assaulting, confining and robbing Jagannath and his father. The other was registered against the driver of the vehicle for rash and negligent driving causing death,” he said.

According to the police, Jagannath was hit by a truck driving towards Kalkaji from M B Road at around 9.35 pm.

He was taken to AIIMs where he was declared brought dead.

Reacting to the incident, over hundred locals protested outside the police station late on Wednesday night. Police resorted to lathi charge on Thursday morning to disperse them. Sources in the police said Jagannath and Ram Babu had first gone to Shambhu Lala’s house to drop Soni off.

Ram Babu said Jagannath was tutoring Soni for over a year. He took her Class XII examinations this year. Jagannath, a graduate student, used to tutor several children from Okhla, Jamia and Sangam Vihar and neighbouring areas in batches from morning to night.

“Soni was one of his students and she used to come to our house at 3 pm and stay till 5 pm. She was attached to our family. On Wednesday, however, she stayed till 7 pm. Since it was late and she was a little frightened about how her family would react, we decided to walk her to her house nearby,” Ram Babu said.

According to him and the police, when the three reached Soni’s house, her father Shambhu and other male relatives assaulted them.
“They detained us for around two hours and snatched my mobile phone. Then they made a PCR call at 9.15 pm, telling police we had abducted Soni. Police took Jagannath and me away to the police station.”

A senior police officer said, “Jagannath was waiting outside the police station while Ram Babu was inside writing his complaint of assault. Meanwhile, Jagannath ran on to the road and was hit by a dumpster truck. The driver of the truck got off the vehicle and fled while we were able to question his companion. We are still trying to verify why Jagannath ran.”

Police said that Soni’s father Shambhu has been detained and is being questioned, while the other relatives are absconding. Both Shambhu and Ram Babu are migrants from Bihar.