New Delhi: A five-year-old girl was killed on Sunday after a speeding e-rickshaw lost control, overturned and hit her while she was playing near her home in southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar. The drive has been arrested.Police were informed around 4.30pm about the incident near 100 foota road. “A team reached the spot and found that an e-rickshaw, being driven recklessly from Kali Basti towards the Uttam Nagar terminal, has hit a girl and she has sustained head injuries,” said an officer. Deepanshi, who stayed at a nearby slum, was taken to hospital by her parents, where she was declared brought dead. Her parents work as daily wage labourers.This was the third e-rickshaw-related death in the city since Aug. “It was found that the e-rickshaw was being driven at such a high speed that it also overturned after hitting the girl,” the officer added. A case was registered under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 106 (death due to negligence) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Uttam Nagar police station. Police said the driver, Murari Jha, was arrested from the spot.In another incident on the same day, a five-year-old boy died in south Delhi’s Sangam Vihar after a parked e-rickshaw was accidentally started by another child playing with it, causing the vehicle to move forward and run over the five-year-old. The incident took place around noon at H block. “Preliminary investigation revealed that the water delivery vehicle, parked in a lane, was accidentally started by another child. It moved forward, trapping the other boy underneath and causing fatal injuries,” an officer said. The child was taken to AIIMS, where he was declared dead.Police said the victim’s father worked in Bihar and was away at the time of the incident, while his uncle was at the spot. A case has been registered at the Sangam Vihar police station.Delhi Traffic Police data shows that between Jan 1 and Aug 20 this year, e-rickshaws were involved in 108 road accidents, resulting in 26 deaths and 130 injuries. Earlier in Sept, a 16-year-old schoolgirl died days before her birthday and three others were injured in an e-rickshaw accident in Paharganj in central Delhi. The driver was allegedly jumping a red light and driving at high speed. A month before, an e-rickshaw carrying students, including an eight-year-old girl, collided with a motorcycle and overturned in northeast Delhi’s Maujpur. The girl died from her injuries after being crushed under the vehicle. The driver fled the scene, but was arrested later.
