Dwarka accident: Roads that cut lives short

The cramped chamber wherever 23-year-old Sahil Dhaneshra spent his clip is witnesser to the ambitions helium erstwhile nurtured. One poster connected the partition reads: ‘They privation to alert archetypal class, I privation to ain the plane’. On the ceiling, supra the furniture wherever helium slept, a hand-painted enactment declares: ‘2025 volition beryllium my $1,000,000 year!’

Across the room, his survey array — present lined with framed photographs of his smiling look — showcases trophies and medals helium earned implicit the years.

On February 3, astatine astir 11.40 a.m., Dhaneshra was killed successful a roadworthy accident aft his motorcycle collided with an SUV driven by a minor. The operator and his sister were successful the vehicle. The mishap took spot conscionable 400 metres distant from their home in Dwarka’s Sector 11.

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Videos that aboriginal went viral amusement the SUV speeding down an undivided road with cars parked connected some sides. The SUV was successful the mediate of the roadworthy erstwhile Dhaneshra’s motorcycle approached from the other direction, attempting to overtake a autobus up of him, and allegedly entered concisely into the lane of oncoming traffic.

After the impact, Dhaneshra’s motorcycle was mangled. After striking the bike, the SUV rammed into a taxi parked on the road. The rear of the taxi and the beforehand of the SUV were wholly crushed, and the autobus was besides damaged.

The taxi driver, Ajit Singh, was instantly taken to the nearest infirmary by passers-by. The constabulary took Dhaneshra to Indira Gandhi Hospital, wherever helium was declared brought dead.

The incidental came to wider attraction astir a week later, erstwhile Inna Makan, Dhaneshra’s mother, recorded a video and posted it connected societal media. It shows the victim’s parent crying inconsolably, pleading for justness for her son’s death. She was reacting to reports that the insignificant accused had been granted interim bail by the Juvenile Justice Board to look for his Class 10 committee examinations.

The adjacent day, Makan’s compact 3-bedroom flat successful an ageing gathering successful Bagdola village, Sector 8, Dwarka, was flooded with visitors. Makan sat successful her son’s room. Sitting connected his bed, surrounded by his photographs, she broke down repeatedly arsenic she spoke to reporters.

According to Delhi Traffic Police data, astir 1,617 radical mislaid their lives successful roadworthy accidents successful 2025, up from 1,551 successful the erstwhile year. From January 1 to February 15, 2026, astatine slightest 197 radical had been killed successful crashes. Of the 197, 12 were minors, and 66 were pedestrians.

Traffic constabulary mention a operation of factors for roadworthy accidents. “We person 4,675 unit crossed ranks, from constable to the posts of Special Commissioner of Police. The sanctioned spot is 6,182, showing a shortage of astir 1,507,” says Kime Kaming, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic (Operations).

He says determination is 1 constabulary idiosyncratic for each 30,000 people. However, Kaming says it is much astir the civilization of not pursuing rules successful Delhi. “Sometimes Violations connected Camera (VOCA) notices travel retired to beryllium successful lakhs connected a azygous time erstwhile we see parking violations also,” helium says, adding that pedestrian indiscipline, the deficiency of municipality planning, and different factors pb to accidents.

A beingness chopped short

A azygous parent, Makan says she had struggled immensely to rise her son. Separated from her husband, she had been surviving successful Dwarka for implicit 12 years. In June 2018, Dhaneshra’s begetter passed distant owed to a encephalon tumour. According to her, helium had mostly been absent from their lives, forcing Dhaneshra to make a consciousness of independence.

Also Read | Road mishap deaths emergence to 1.77 lakh successful 2024: Gadkari

“From a young age, helium started earning his ain money. He would assistance maine with my existent property business. On the time of the accident, helium had near location to look for an interrogation for a caller job,” Makan says.

Dhaneshra had besides secured admittance to an M.Sc. people successful Luxury Fashion Management astatine Manchester Metropolitan University and was readying to permission for the U.K. aboriginal this year. “He was a multi-talented person,” says Manas Sachdeva, a adjacent friend. “We’ve known each different for 8 years due to the fact that of our shared involvement successful photography. I person ever seen him smiling and dreaming large — particularly for his mother,” helium adds.

Makan is bereft: “I mightiness unopen down my existent property concern now,” she says.

Read |Death connected the move: On India’s disgraceful grounds successful fatal roadworthy accidents

Public apologies

As Makan’s pleas became public, the minor’s begetter made nationalist apologies repeatedly. “I cannot ideate the grief of the pistillate who mislaid her son,” helium said to the media, adding that his household is profoundly disturbed by the incident.

The constabulary registered an FIR nether sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for rash driving and decease by negligent acts, arsenic good arsenic held the father, the proprietor of the SUV, nether Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which holds the guardian liable for an offence committed by a minor.

As quality of the incidental spread, the minor’s begetter said helium began receiving maltreatment from the public. “Unknown radical person been calling maine and sending messages filled with expletives. They person practically made our lives unbearable. I americium acceptable to judge immoderate determination the ineligible strategy takes, including serving jailhouse clip if that is what the instrumentality decides,” helium says.

He repeatedly told the mediapersons that helium would cooperate with the authorities. “I cannot ideate what the parent indispensable beryllium going through, but arsenic a parent, I recognize what the nonaccomplishment of a kid means,” helium says.

While the incidental has drawn important attention, roadworthy information concerns surrounding the clang besides request scrutiny, says Sarika Panda Bhatt, co-founder of the Raahgiri Foundation, a non-profit organisation.

“A young beingness could perchance person been saved had helium been wearing a helmet. The mishap occurred connected an undivided roadworthy with cars parked on some sides, leaving precise small country for moving traffic. The car appeared to beryllium speeding successful a residential country with a assemblage nearby. The videos besides amusement that the unfortunate somewhat changed lanes portion attempting to overtake a autobus up of him,” she says, adding that India lacks robust clang probe systems, which could assistance find what mightiness person prevented specified an accident.

The roadworthy ahead

“Just yesterday, I witnessed an mishap involving a biker and an car driver. Instead of helping the injured, radical had formed a assemblage astir them and were making videos connected their phones. I got retired of my car and took the injured to the hospital, but until then, the aureate hr had already passed,” says S.K. Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic-II (HQ). He refers to the archetypal hr aft the accident, during which the injured indispensable beryllium transported to the hospital, which tin beryllium done lone if the indispensable services scope the unfortunate wrong the archetypal 10 minutes of the accident.

“Despite respective consciousness campaigns, the top situation we witnesser is to marque citizens comply by postulation rules. Many lives tin beryllium saved if lone riders deterioration helmets, enactment connected information belts, debar incorrect broadside driving and awesome jumping,” helium adds.

Every year, the fig of challans issued by the Delhi Traffic Police increases significantly. In 2024, astir 23 lakh challans were issued. This accrued to 38 lakh successful 2025. About 51 lakh notices were issued to violators each twelvemonth aft violations were captured by cameras.

The DCP added that radical are habitual of driving successful the incorrect side, for which the postulation constabulary person started filing FIRs. “Lack of due signages is different reason. Thirdly, stopping successful the mediate of the roadworthy successful high-footfall areas similar Kashmere Gate, Mukarba Chowk, and Peeragarhi puts their lives arsenic good arsenic of different commuters astatine risk,” helium said.

He says roadworthy engineering and municipality readying — including postulation flow, introduction and exit points, and connecting roads — play a important relation successful preventing accidents. “In areas adjacent AIIMS and Safdarjung, wherever roads are perpetually congested, multi-level lodging projects are being planned. Where volition the further postulation go? At Kalindi Kunj, a six-lane carriageway merges into a two-lane road, creating a terrible bottleneck. Are these semipermanent solutions?” helium says.

The Delhi postulation constabulary has astir 125 cameras to grounds speeding crossed Delhi, with a program to enactment different 125 successful spot implicit the adjacent month. Around 209 Red Light Violation cameras are successful spot and 203 much are expected to beryllium installed successful the coming months.

Another postulation officer, requesting anonymity, says unplanned roadworthy digging without due barricading oregon signage, arsenic good arsenic mediocre roadworthy maintenance, including unfilled potholes, are large contributors to accidents. “Alternatives beryllium to debar repeated excavation for sewage, water, oregon state pipelines. Service tunnels oregon accessible inferior corridors tin beryllium built alongside existing infrastructure alternatively than burying everything underground. This makes repairs and attraction easier and safer,” helium says.

V. Umashankar, Secretary astatine the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, says a 6% diminution successful fatal crashes had been recorded connected National Highways owed to improved knowing of mishap patterns and causes.

“Up to ₹3,000 crore has been earmarked nether the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) strategy to promote states to instrumentality measures to trim roadworthy accidents. This forms portion of a broader acceptable of interventions. There is besides greater accent connected swift enforcement, including the usage of Advanced Traffic Management Systems that automatically observe violations, specified arsenic lane indiscipline, and make challans,” the Secretary says.

Under the existent ineligible model successful India, the maximum punishment for causing decease by rash oregon negligent driving depends connected whether the operator stays to study the incidental oregon flees the scene. If the operator stays, the punishment includes up to 5 years of imprisonment alongside a fine. It is simply a bailable offence.