Toddler killed after speeding police vehicle collides with car

Gurugram: A six-month-old girl was killed and seven others, including two police personnel were injured when a speeding emergency response vehicle (ERV) of the Gurugram police rammed a car on the Gurugram-Faridabad Road on Sunday, said police. Police added that the ERV was speeding on the wrong side of the road.

Police said that the incident took place at about 11.15am, when the ERV driven by constable Rameshwar and carrying an officer was rushing towards Ghata T-point from Gwal Pahari to reach a spot where a man was allegedly trapped in an autorickshaw after an accident.

Investigators said that the Maruti Swift car, driven by Rinku Kumar (22), was travelling towards Faridabad from Gurugram. Police said that Kumar’s sister and aunt along with three children, including the toddler were in the car. The deceased toddler was the daughter of Kumar’s sister, police added.

Police said that the lane leading towards Ghata T-point from Gwal Pahari was allegedly having a traffic jam due to which the ERV slipped to the opposite lane to reach the accident site quickly. However, after speeding for some distance, the collision took place.

The deceased child was in her mother’s lap who was seated on the front seat. Investigators said the toddler’s head banged against the dashboard due to the impact of the accident, killing her instantly, police added.

Police said the location where the ERV collided with the car falls under the jurisdiction of DLF Phase I police station.

Vikas Kaushik, assistant commissioner of police (DLF), said that the toddler was rushed to a private hospital in Sector 43, but doctors declared her dead.

“We have registered an FIR against the ERV driver under Section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 337 (hurting any person by acting rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or personal safety of others), 427 (damage to the amount of ₹50 or above) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on Kumar’s complaint. Necessary action will be taken against him after an investigation,” ACP Kaushik said.

The ACP said that the driver, special police officer (SPO) and a head constable were suspended after the accident. “The head constable Devender was the ERV in-charge and should have been in the vehicle, but he was absent. Departmental proceedings will also be initiated against the trio,” he said.

“On several occasions, we have directed the ERV teams to drive responsibly. Further investigation will reveal why the ERV had to travel in the wrong direction, which led to the fatal accident,” ACP Kaushik said.

The ACP said that the rest of the car occupants and the ERV driver and the SPO also received minor injuries.

Investigators said that the deceased toddler’s family hails from Faridabad and was returning after meeting some relatives in Gurugram. They said that the child’s body was handed over to them after a post-mortem.