A speeding SUV crashed into the central verge near south east Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan, flipped three times, and slammed into the divider, killing the 26-year-old driver and injuring six of his relatives as they were returning from an engagement party in the early hours of Monday.
Police identified the victim as Harsh, who was studying for competitive exams, and the other occupants of the vehicle as Gagan (19), Maan (16), and Nikhil, Yuvraj, Lalit and Bhisham, all of whom are in their 20s. They are all cousins and the car belongs to Harsh’s parents.
A passerby informed police about the incident around 2:30 am, informing them that there appeared to be several people in the vehicle and that it was travelling from Barapullah to Sarai Kale Khan, said deputy commissioner of police (south east) Dr Hemant Tiwari.
At the accident spot, police found the vehicle, a white Mahindra Scorpio, stuck entirely on the central verge. There was extensive damage to the bonnet and the front windscreen area.Its occupants, who were all unconscious, were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Harsh was declared dead on arrival. “Others are out of danger though undergoing treatment but Nikhil is still critical,” a police officer said.
On questioning, two of the cousins, who were comparatively stable, told police that they were all related and live in Hapur. “They said that they had come to Ullas Bhawan in Sarojini Nagar for the engagement party of a friend of Bhisham. They were all returning and the car was at a high speed on the downward slope when it hit the divider and flipped three times,” a second officer said. It was not immediately clear what led Harsh to lose control of the vehicle. A medical examination has been conducted and police suspect some of them were inebriated. The blood test reports are still awaited.
A case under sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 281 (rash and negligent driving), and 125 (acts endangering life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered and investigation has been taken up.
According to Delhi Police data, there have been 5,689 road accidents in 2025, around the same as 2024 when 5,657 cases were reported. However, among these fatal accidents jumped by 74 cases with 1,578 cases in 2025 compared to 1,504 in 2024. The data showed that a total of 1,617 people were killed in the accidents, compared to 1,551 in 2024.