1 dead as driving test takes bloody turn

A youth appearing for his driving test inside the RTO compound in Andheri lost control of his vehicle on Monday, running over a person and injuring six others.

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At around 5 pm, Kanji Bhavan Chamaria (22) a resident of Saki Naka, entered the RTO compound in his friend's Santro. He had received a four-wheeler's learning licence, and was scheduled to appear for the driving test for a licence.

Wheels of death: Dilip Nirmal, a driver by profession, was run over by the vehicle at the premises of the Andheri RTO.u00a0

Ready for the test, he turned on the ignition and revved up the engine.

However, matters took a sudden turn for the worse when he pressed on the accelerator while meaning to apply the brakes, losing control of the vehicle.

Testing times: Dilip Nirmal's grieving mother Usha holds a photograph of her son (above), who died after being run over by Chamaria. Pics/Nimesh Dave

Several bystanders who were waiting for their licences at the office came in the way of the car, and tried to escape, but were injured.

One of them was Dilip Nirmal, a driver by profession, who was run over by the vehicle. He was rushed to Cooper hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries yesterday.

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Four of the victims sustained minor injuries and were discharged some time later, while two others were severely injured.

"Ideally for every test, it is mandatory for the RTO officer to sit beside the driver. But in this incident it has been found that the officer was waiting outside the vehicle," said an officer from Amboli police station on condition of anonymity.

The Amboli police are investigating the case. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Chamaria had been nervous about his test as he was not confident about his driving skills.

Police Inspector Vivek Shende of Amboli police station said, "We have arrested the accused and booked him under Sections 279 for rash driving, Section 338 for causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others, and Sections 304 (A) for causing death by negligence."u00a0

He was the sole breadwinner for his family
Nirmal (24) a driver by profession and a resident of Andheri, was the sole breadwinner in his family. He had accompanied his employer to the RTO office for some licence-related work. According to Nirmal's family members, he had married six months ago and his wife is three months pregnant.

His father Ramshankar Nirmal said, "Soon after the incident, he was rushed to a nearby hospital, but the staff refused to admit him saying that it was a police case. Finally he was taken to Cooper hospital after the police arrived. His condition was very critical and he was kept on a ventilator till morning. At around 11.30 am he succumbed to his injuries." u00a0