A family battles loss and legal system

On June 27, 60-year-old Nakul Rao Thatod decided to stretch himself on the pavement close to the tea shop...

On June 27, 60-year-old Nakul Rao Thatod decided to stretch himself on the pavement close to the tea shop where he worked after closing the shop at midnight. Two hours later, a speeding Esteem, driven by a Delhi Police officer8217;s son, killed him. The accused, 21-year-old Manjeet Singh, was drunk.

More than two months later, Thatod8217;s family is still in a state of shock. 8220;My husband died 20 years ago. His younger brother, Nakul, supported me and my five children,8221; said Kamala Bai.

Thatods, natives of Amravati in Maharashtra, had migrated to Delhi in search of employment several decades back. Nakul8217;s wife died 15 years ago. He used to support his son Mangal, who works as a daily wager back in Amravati, and daughter Shobha who recently got married. From his meagre salary he was also supporting his deceased brother8217;s family. He was planning to visit his daughter around Diwali.

8220;He couldn8217;t afford to commute daily so he used to sleep on the pavement. I used to meet him every Thursday during my visits to the Sai Baba temple,8221; said Kamla Bai.

On that fateful day, Mayank Verma, son of a Supreme Court lawyer, and his personal security officer, Manjeet Singh, went to a pub in Greater Kailash. Later, they decided to eat at Comesum restaurant outside Nizamuddin Railway Station. A drunk Manjeet took a wrong turn and entered a lane while driving towards the railway station. When he realised his mistake, he took a wrong turn again, lost control of the vehicle, and climbed on to the central median opposite a police post where Nakul was sleeping.

His extended family lives in a one-bedroom house in one of the unauthorised colonies in Badarpur. They got to know about his death on a Saturday morning. It took them an entire day to get in touch with Mangal. 8220;For two days we waited at the Nizamuddin police station to get an FIR registered,8221; alleged Kamla Bai8217;s son Sanjay.

Coping with the grief of losing a family member, the Thatods are now bracing themselves for a long legal battle. The hearing of the case will start on November 1.

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8220;The lawyer has demanded 10 per cent of the compensation amount as his fee,8221; said Sanjay.

Total number of fatal accidents 853

Fatal accidents due to drunken driving 11

Total number of people prosecuted for drunken driving 5,500

all figures from Jan-August 2008

Total number of people prosecuted for drunken driving 2,900

for Jan-August 2007