6-year-old boy crossing road crushed by SUV

GHAZIABAD: A six-year-old boy returning home from school was crushed under the wheels of an SUV near Shyam Park metro station in Sahibabad on Saturday. The driver of the Toyota Fortuner fled after the accident, leaving the vehicle behind.

Pratap, a Class I student of a private school and son of a daily-wage labourer, was returning home with his report card. Jitender Kumar Singh, the SHO of Sahibabad police station, said the accident occurred around 10.30am on Saturday when the boy, who was alone, was trying to cross a road. He suffered critical injuries in his head and died before he could be taken to the hospital. “A police team and local residents rushed him to Ambay hospital in Lajpat Nagar of Sahibabad. Doctors at the hospital declared him dead,” Singh said.

Pratap’s mother Radhe, a rag picker, said the boy had been asking her to prepare some of his favourite dishes for the past few days as he was confident of scoring high in his Class I exams. “On Saturday, he left the house around 7.30am. I was expecting him to come home with his report card and a smile on his face. Instead, the news of his death came around 7.30am,” she sobbed. Police have seized the Fortuner from the spot and are trying to get details of the car and its owner. Sources in the police, however, said the car was registered in the name of a builder in Indirapuram.

“We have registered a case under Section 304 A (death by negligence) of the IPC against unknown persons. We are also checking CCTV footage of the area to ascertain the identity the driver,” Singh said.

The officer agreed that the city has of late seen a number of accidents in which minors were involved. “Either a minor is an accused in some cases or a victim. It is also the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure the safety of the children,” Singh added.