Hem Shankar, 25, a delivery rider working night shifts to support his family, was killed after a car allegedly rammed into his scooter in west Delhi’s Subhash Nagar early Saturday, police said.
The accident took place around 3 am near the Subhash Nagar Metro station. According to police, a speeding car hit Hem’s scooter from behind. Visuals from the scene showed a black car with its front hood crumpled, windshield shattered and airbags deployed.
Police said the driver, Mohit Kumar, 27, a resident of Najafgarh who works as an MCD contractor, was taken into custody and his vehicle seized.
Family members have alleged that there were nine to 10 pending traffic challans against him, mostly for speeding. They also claimed the car was moving at 120 to 150 km per hour and that the occupants appeared intoxicated.
Hem, known as Rohit among family and friends, had been working as a rider for the past four years. He earned an additional Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 a month by working night shifts.
“Usually, he would leave for work around 6 pm and return by 5 in the morning. He worked all night. Yesterday, he left around 8.30 pm,” his mother said.
Recounting how she learnt of the accident, she said, “When the accident happened, one of his friends came to inform me.
My son always told me not to open the door at night, but his friend kept knocking and said, ‘Aunty, please come, Rohit has been hurt.’ He didn't tell me that my son had died.” She said she fainted after seeing her son’s body.
“They dragged him away,” she said. “I just want justice for him.”
“I have no one left in this world except him. He ran the entire household. Who will look after us now? First, my husband was gone, now my son too,” she told PTI.
Hem was the middle of three brothers and lived with his family in a single-room house in west Delhi.
After their father’s death in 2015, their mother worked as a domestic worker but later stopped due to health issues, including cataract and high blood pressure.
“She started developing cataract and had trouble continuing work. She also has high blood pressure,” said Surendra Kumar, Hem’s brother-in-law. “Hem got her cataract surgery done a few years ago. Since then, she stayed home, and Hem took full responsibility for the household.”
Hem had recently purchased the electric scooter he used for work on loan. “He had borrowed around Rs 20,000. The scooter cost him about Rs 40,000. He used some of his savings and borrowed the rest,” Kumar said.
He added that Hem had also taken responsibility for repaying loans taken by his elder brother for a photography business that did not succeed.
“He had taken some loans for the business, but it didn't work out. Since most of the money came from relatives, Hem took on the responsibility of repaying the debt,” Kumar said.
“They weren't financially stable, so Hem couldn't complete his graduation. He finished school and started working soon after,” he added.
Suman, a cousin, alleged reckless and drunk driving led to the incident. “Look at how these boys drive after drinking,” she said.
“We raise our children with such care, hoping they will go out to work and build a life. But these people, drunk and driving recklessly, just run them over and leave. They don't realise they are destroying the light of someone's home … They escape the police and the legal system, and we are left with no justice at all,” she said.
Suman also alleged that neither the police nor the company Hem worked for had contacted the family since the accident.
However, Kumar, who is an advocate, said representatives of the quick commerce company had reached out regarding compensation. Further investigation is underway, police said.