New Delhi: A 54-year-old tea vendor sleeping inside his roadside kiosk was fatally struck by a Delhi Police PCR van on Panchkuian Road Thursday morning. The constable who was driving was arrested while the assistant sub-inspector in charge of the PCR van was suspended and sent to the district lines.The victim, Ganga Ram Tiwari, is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters. A differently-abled man, he had been running tea kiosks in the city for over 20 years and lived in the small space where he worked — in a narrow lane close to Ramakrishna Ashram Marg metro station, near Metro Pillar 10 — sharing it with his eldest son (24). His wife and three children remained in their native village in UP while one daughter is married and lives in Punjab. Police were alerted about the incident by a PCR call around 5.30am. A team reached the spot and found the PCR van lodged at the kiosk and Tiwari lying in a critical condition nearby. He was taken to Lady Hardinge Hospital, where he was declared ‘brought dead’. A case was registered under BNS Section 106(1) (causing death by rash and negligent act). A senior police officer said the accident occurred when constable Kimish and ASI Jeevan, both deployed in the PCR unit, were patrolling the area and approached an upward ramp. Kimish allegedly accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, causing the van to lose control and hit the victim. Shortly after the incident, an altercation broke out between locals and the cops, which was captured on video. Tiwari’s son Sukumar and residents alleged the two cops were intoxicated and accompanied by a woman. Some locals claimed a liquor bottle was found inside the vehicle. Police refuted this and said the medical report did not reveal any traces of liquor by police. They also denied the presence of a third person. A local resident claimed the vehicle was being driven at a high speed. A few others alleged there was an “unauthorised” police booth in the lane. Police said they are reviewing the relevant documents to verify its legitimacy. The main breadwinner of his family, Tiwari sent home most of his modest earnings — about Rs 12,000 — to cover the medical expenses of his wife and son, keeping only a small portion for himself, said one of his relatives, Rajender Tiwari. “His wife was injured after falling from a bike in their native village and his younger son is unable to speak,” he explained. Akhilesh Tiwari, another relative, said when they last spoke around 7pm Wednesday, Tiwari sought his help in finding a suitable groom for his daughter. One of Tiwari’s legs was affected by polio and he earlier used to sell items from a cart. “He was travelling to Gonda for his wife’s treatment when the vehicle he was in overturned, injuring his other leg too,” Rajender said. Thereafter, he started running a kiosk, selling tea and snacks, opening the shutters daily around 6.30am and closing by 7pm. Then, he would spread out his bedding and settle down to sleep in the area just outside. On Thursday morning, cookies were strewn across the ground while blood stains were visible inside the kiosk. Nearby, a gas stove lay abandoned beneath a tree, part of which had broken due to the impact.
