Delhi: 'Drunk' driver runs over homeless men sleeping on pavement, 1 die

New Delhi: A 45-year-old homeless man sleeping near a bus stand in Chhatarpur area of south Delhi was run over by a car driven allegedly by an inebriated driver while two other were injured, police said on Tuesday.

Police said the accused driver, Pankaj Thakur, was found drunk at the time of the incident. He was later arrested, they said.

They said the accident happened on Monday and Kanhiya, a native of Bihar, was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where doctors declared him brought dead.

They said Kanhiya had come to Chhatarpur five years ago and used to work as a scrap dealer and sometimes double as domestic help in the neighbourhood.

He used to sleep on the pavement every night.

An eyewitness said the car was speeding and hit one of the corners of a bus stand near the pavement. Later it ran over the victims, hit a boundary wall and stopped.

Pankaj got out of the vehicle and tried to flee but locals managed to catch him and informed police about the accident.

"The car was being driven at such a high speed. Kanhaiya was badly hit. Two other persons sleeping next to him were also injured," he said.

Police said one of the injured has been identified as Om Prakash (45) while the other remains unidentified.

"The injured persons are homeless and usually sleep behind the Chhatarpur bus stand. They work as daily wage workers," said a senior police officer.

During interrogation, the driver told police he had borrowed the car from his neighbor to attend a get-together in Chattarpur area and was returning to his home in Ghitorni when he lost control over the vehicle.

Police said empty liquor glasses have been found from inside the car.

The accused driver was sent for the medical examination.

He has been booked under IPC sections 304 A (causing death due to negligence) and 279 (rash driving), said the officer.

Police are likely to add the section of drunken driving in the FIR following the medical reports of his blood samples.