“She has received 18 fractures – seven in her left ribcage and nine in the right one. Both her collar-bones are also broken. She is in the ICU still. It’s been five days since the accident,” said Lakshman Anand, son of 67-year-old Rita Anand who was hit by a speeding car on 29 July in Gurugram’s Palam Vihar.
Rita was on her way to a park in Palam Vihar’s E Block for an evening stroll at around 5.45 pm when a car hit her and fled the scene. The Quint has accessed the 24-second CCTV footage of the incident.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Palam Vihar police station the next day under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Inspector Deepak Kumar, SHO of Palam Vihar police station told The Quint that the car has been identified as white Hyundai Verna with a Delhi registration plate. He added that the driver was arrested on 2 July and is now out on bail.
‘My Mother Is Still In ICU’
In the 24-second-long CCTV footage, Rita can be seen walking inside a residential colony and there are water puddles on either side of the road. The instant Rita is seen turning to take a right, a speeding car comes and hits her. The car does not stop as Rita falls to the ground and is seen wincing in pain.
“We were at home when we received the call. My father Umesh Anand and I rushed to the spot. I saw my mother was lying on the side of the street. A few people had gathered around. One of them was a nurse and helped my mother with first-aid,” Lakshman told The Quint.
Rita was first taken to Manipal Hospital and later shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, where she is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU, the FIR stated.
She is the editor of the Civil Society magazine while her husband Umesh is the publisher.
‘No Pavements For People To Walk’: Victim's Son
Inspector Deepak Kumar said that the driver – Devender, 30 – was arrested on 2 July and released on bail the same day.
Naveen Sharma, ACP, Palam Vihar told news agency ANI that the car was registered in the name of a Delhi-based company. He added that the medical test indicated the driver was not under the influence of alcohol.
Lakshman alleged that the accident happened in front of the house of the president of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of E Block, Palam Vihar – one of the oldest, centrally located colonies in Gurugram. He also blamed “encroachment” and “lack of pedestrian space” for his mother’s accident.
“Even though there are plenty of speed breakers in the colony, there are no pavements for people to walk. One would assume that 5.45 pm is a safe time to go out for a walk.. The colony has outsourced policing work to security guards, and they can do only so much,” Lakshman lamented.
He said that he was “aghast” when he saw the CCTV footage. Lakshman said that his mother has a long road to recovery considering the seriousness of her injuries and her age.
“We just hope to bring her back home soon,” said the 40-year-old cinematographer.
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