A 21-year-old Delhi student was killed while his friend was injured for reportedly objecting to a man for smoking in public. According to a report by The Indian Express, the incident took place on Sunday when a man plowed into Gurpreet and his friend’s bike with his car after they objected to him blowing smoke on their faces. Three days after the incident, Gurpreet Singh succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday at the AIIMS trauma centre. However, the police have confirmed that Gurpreet’s friend is now stable.
Police have already arrested the man who was driving the car and he has been booked under murder charges. According to the IE report, the argument took place around 4 am in the morning on September 17 near a roadside eatery outside Safdarjung Hospital. According to the police, Gurpreet who was a student of Delhi College of Photography, was out to shoot a documentary on homeless people near AIIMS Hospital.
“The accused, Rohit Mahanta, who hails from Assam, was initially nabbed from the spot since his Ford Fiesta had hit two more vehicles in the area. But he was bailed out in the rash driving case. It appears that the accused intentionally hit Gurpreet’s motorcycle despite knowing he might get killed. Hence, we have booked him under sections of murder and attempt to murder, besides others,” DCP (south) Ishwar Singh said.
Gurpreet’s family launched a protest after his death demanding a strict against the accused. Gurpreet’s friend Maninder said that they had stopped to eat at a roadside eatery when Mahanta, who was smoking nearby, blew smoke on their faces. It led to a heated argument between the two sides. After this, Mahanta followed the duo and allegedly hit them with his car.