Dr J P Yadav was 53
A doctor on COVID-19 duty died in South Delhi’s Saket on Monday after he was allegedly hit by a car while he was riding his bicycle, police said.
The victim, J P Yadav (53), was returning to his home at Greater Kailash when a car hit him and fled.
Yadav was in charge of the SDMC polyclinic in Mehrauli and was also appointed as the COVID-19 nodal officer from the South zone, police said. A senior police officer said, “We were informed by Max Hospital about the accident around 6:30 pm. Yadav was rushed to hospital by his colleagues who were nearby, but he died during treatment. During enquiry, we found he had left his clinic around 3:30 pm. ”
Police sources said the doctor had a car, but it broke down a few days ago. As the car could not be repaired due to the lockdown, Yadav borrowed his son’s bicycle to go to work on the day of the incident.
“We told him to take an off and wait till his car gets repaired. But he told us his duty was very important and a lot of patients and healthcare workers were dependent on him,” said a family member. On Monday, Yadav was on COVID-19 duty and was responsible for the distribution of PPE kits to healthcare workers.
Dr Rakesh Prasad, Yadav’s friend who witnessed the incident, said, “He was returning from work when a white Swift Dzire hit him. We saw a young man was driving the car. He didn’t wait and sped away. We called a PCR van, which rushed him to the hospital.”
“He was taking a right turn form the Malviya Nagar traffic junction when the car hit him from the rear.” said police.
A case has been registered under IPC sections 304A and 279 at Saket police station, police said, adding that CCTV footage around Aurobindo Marg is being checked to identify the accused and his car.