A civil engineer from Gurugram has been arrested after falling asleep at the wheel and ramming into two men standing near a roadside eatery on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. The tragic incident, which occurred early Tuesday morning, resulted in the death of one of the men, a law student, and critical injuries to the other.
The accused, identified as 31-year-old Mohit, was reportedly returning from work when he dozed off while driving. According to police reports, the accident took place around 3 a.m. near Chanchal Dhaba, a popular roadside stop on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. The victims, Harsh Singhal, a 25-year-old law student, and his friend Abhishek Kumar, 23, were standing near the service lane's railing, chatting, when Mohit's speeding car struck them.
Moksh, a friend of Harsh, recounted the events leading up to the accident. He explained that they had stopped at the dhaba for food but were waiting for their turn as it was crowded. Harsh then met Abhishek, an old friend, and they stood by the railing to talk. It was at this moment that the car, driven by Mohit, crashed into them.
Harsh Singhal, a resident of Om Nagar colony, was killed in the accident. Abhishek Kumar, from Shanti Nagar in Sector 11, sustained critical injuries and was initially rushed to Safdarjung Hospital before being transferred to a private hospital in Rohini for surgery.
Following the incident, the police launched an investigation and reviewed CCTV footage from the area to identify the driver. Mohit was later apprehended and, during interrogation, confessed to falling asleep while driving due to fatigue from work. Police have confirmed the recovery of the Skoda car involved in the accident, bearing the registration number HR 20AL 4127.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Mohit at the Sector 37 police station under sections 106 (causing death) and 281 (rash and negligent driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Authorities have stated that further investigations are underway.
This incident echoes a similar recent case in Noida, where a man died after a cab driver fell asleep and crashed into a stationary vehicle. This string of accidents highlights the dangers of driving while fatigued and underscores the need for stricter enforcement of traffic regulations and increased awareness campaigns to prevent such tragedies. The Gurugram Police spokesperson, Sandeep, stated that Mohit, a B.Tech graduate, was sleep-deprived and lived in a PG facility in Sector 14 due to his work in the city, while his family resided in Nurpur Bahora village.