Delhi: 3-year-old boy mowed down by cluster bus; driver arrested

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A three-year-old child was mowed down allegedly by a cluster bus in southwest Delhi Najafgarh area, police said on Thursday.

The bus driver has been arrested, they added.

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The incident took place on Wednesday evening when Priyanshu and his three-year-old son Gopal were returning from a market to their home in the Roshanpura area on an e-rickshaw, the police said.

"The father and his son were returning home after refilling gas cylinder. The driver of the e-rickshaw pressed brakes, due to which Gopal slipped from his seat and fell on the road and a cluster bus from behind mowed him down," a senior police officer said.

The officer said the child was taken to a hospital with help of a police team, but he was declared brought dead.

After the incident, several locals gathered at the spot and allegedly pelted stones on the bus, the police said.

The bus driver, identified as Sunil, tried to flee but was overpowered by the police, they added.

Heavy police deployment was made in the area to maintain law and order condition.

"An FIR under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered in the matter. The driver has been arrested and further investigation is underway," said the officer.

"Whenever an accident happens, our depot manager and operator visit the site and speak to witnesses and locals to ascertain the sequence of events. Then they also visit the police station to gather details. Till now, we have come across three different versions for the accident through this exercise," a senior transport official said.

The bus was moving at a speed of 11 km/hr, he said.

According to the first version, the child was sitting in his father's lap who was driving the e-rickshaw when it hit the bus and he fell out, the transport official said.

The second version said the two vehicles were moving parallel to each other and the e-rickshaw touched the bus resulting in the boy falling from it, he said.

As per the third version, the e-rickshaw hit the bus from the rear side which resulted in the child falling down and coming under the bus, he added.

The official said they have requested the police to share the footage from the CCTV camera installed inside the bus to determine the cause of the accident.

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