Navjot Singh, a deputy secretary, died in a road accident, prompting questions about the delay in medical assistance
New Delhi: The family and friends of Navjot Singh, a deputy secretary in the department of economic affairs who died in a road accident, said that he may have survived on Sunday had he been taken to any hospital near the accident site. Navnoor Singh, the official’s son, said his parents left around 11 am on a motorcycle for Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.
“After that, they went to Karnataka Bhavan for lunch. While returning home, they had the accident involving a BMW X5 near Dhaula Kuan,” he said.The couple was taken to Nulife Hospital in GTB Nagar, 22 km from the crash site. Singh was declared dead on arrival.
Poll
Should more awareness be raised about the importance of hospital selection in emergencies?
Navnoor said his mother was in a critical condition when she reached the hospital. “Despite her condition, she was kept in the lobby, while another person, who arrived later with minor injuries, was given a room,” he said. She was later shifted to another hospital. The woman driving the BMW was also at the same hospital.Navnoor added that his mother, fortunately, regained consciousness and asked the hospital to contact a family friend working at another hospital, who then informed the son.Navnoor also asked the GTB Nagar hospital staff about the driver of the vehicle repeatedly, but only after five or so hours, he came to know she was in the same facility. “We also learned that my mother was brought in a private motor van,” he said.Police said they will record his mother’s statement when she is stable.Rishav Samrat, Navjot Singh’s friend, also raised the question about the hospital’s distance from the accident site. “AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital were closer. I later learned that the hospital in GTB Nagar was linked to the family of the woman driving the BMW,” he said.Samrat said Singh was involved in Operation Sindoor and had visited several countries to represent India. “Just last month, he returned from Spain. After 10 days of back-to-back meetings, he went to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib with his wife Santosh, a schoolteacher,” he said.
