Army officer’s wife crushed to death; driver arrested

A 34-year-old woman, wife of an Army officer, was killed after being hit by a private bus in Dwarka on Thursday morning. She was returning after dropping her daughter at the bus stand for school.

The accused bus driver has been arrested, the police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Shibesh Singh said that the woman has been identified as Alka Rawal, director at Viacom 18 and resident of Dwarka Sector-5 where she used to live with her husband Lieutenant-Colonel Jaryal Bharat, their five-year-old daughter and in-laws.

‘Had gone to drop child’

A family member who did not wish to be named said that she had gone to drop her daughter at the bus stand across the road from their apartment when the incident happened.

“After dropping her daughter, Alka was crossing the road. A speeding private bus hit her and she flew a few metres ahead before falling on the road,” he said.

DCP Singh said that a newspaper distributor who witnessed the incident ran to the spot. The bus driver later identified as Pramod stopped the bus a few metres ahead and rushed to see what had happened.

“A girl who was going in an e-rickshaw then stopped and took Alka to Ayushman Hospital along with the newspaper distributor and the bus driver,” the family member said.

However, she was declared brought dead at the hospital at 7.35 a.m. Mr. Singh said that the police received the PCR call from the hospital.

The family member said that her five-year-old daughter witnessed the whole incident as the incident happened just when she had boarded her school bus. “Her school bus also stopped. She saw everything from inside the bus. She is in shock and hasn’t been talking to anyone,” he said.

Husband posted in Pune

Mr. Bharat, the family said, was posted in Pune and was not here at the time of the incident. He flew back as soon as he was informed.

The police said that they have registered a case on charges of rash driving and causing death by negligence, and arrested the driver.

“Accused Pramod resides in Issapur village. Investigation to establish the sequence of events is under way,” Mr. Singh said adding that the post-mortem was conducted and the body was handed over to the family.