After 2012’s Nirbhaya horror, Delhi has witnessed another terrifying incident which has raised questions about the safety of women in the national capital. The gruesome killing of a 20-year-old in Delhi’s Sultanpuri has sent shock waves to the whole country and everyone is demanding justice for Anjali Singh. The incident took place in the new year’s early hours.
As the investigation moves further, several shocking revelations are being made.
11 Points Explainer On Delhi’s Sultanpuri Hit And Drag Case
Below mentioned are some of the major details and developments in the Anjali Singh hit-and-run case.
1.Two More Accused Involved
Adding more to the twists and turns in the Delhi run and drag case, police has mentioned that there are two more accused who are involved in the crime.
Special CP(L&O) Dr Sagar P Hooda stated, “We have arrested 5 accused and we are interrogating them. During interrogation, we found that two more people are involved in the incident. Our team is conducting raids. We have recorded the statement of the eye witness.”
He added, “During interrogation, we also got to know that the car was driven by Amit and not by Deepak. Two others- Ashutosh and Ankush Khanna have also been made the accused in this case. We are trying to arrest them. During the post-mortem, no evidence of sexual assault was found.”
2. Brain Matter Missing, Skull Open, Ribs Exposed With 40 Injuries But No Sexual Assault
The postmortem report of the victim has revealed that she was not sexually assaulted but succumbed to her injuries due to shock and haemorrhage. The autopsy report mentioned that her brain matter was missing, skull cavity was found open, spine was fractured, and there were a total of 40 injuries.
A medical board of doctors at the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) conducted the autopsy and informed about all the injuries to Delhi police.
The reports mentioned that the brain matter of the deceased is missing, her ribs exposed from the back of the chest, and the grinding effects on the ribs present with the sharpening of the chest. It also revealed that there was a spine fracture in the lumbar region. Her entire body was smudged with mud and dirt.
“Anjali’s internal examination has revealed that the scalp (was) avulsed and hanging irregularly, smudged with mud and dirt. Her skull cranial cavity (was) open, with grinding effect present at the margins bones present the bones vault fracture from the sutural ends and missing. Fracture of the base of the skull (was) present. Pleural cavity (was) both open with exposition of both the lungs. The injuries were mixed antemortem, perimortem and postmortem in nature,” the eight-page report said.
Doctors stated that shock and haemorrhage as a result of antemortem injury to the head, spine, left femur, and both lower limbs.
“All injuries collectively can cause death in the ordinary course of nature. However, injury to the head, spine, long bones and other injuries can cause death independently and collectively in the ordinary course of nature. All injuries produced by blunt force impact and possible with vehicular accident and dragging. However, final opinion will be given after receipt of chemical analysis and biological sample reports,” a source stated.
Special CP (Law and Order of southern zone) Sagar Preet Hooda on Tuesday said, “Shock and haemorrhage as a result of antemortem injury to the head, spine, left femur, and both lower limbs. All injuries produced by blunt force impact and possible with vehicular accident and dragging. The report also indicates that there is no injury suggestive of sexual assault. The final report will be received in due course. Further investigation in the case is underway.”
3. Victim Not Alone, Friend Who Fled Crime Scene Blames Deceased For The Incident
After more CCTV footages were recovered, it was found that Anjali was not alone. Her friend, Nidhi accompanied her on the scooty. In a latest CCTV footage, it was found that the two had an argument allegedly for driving the scooty. Anjali was seen snatching something from Nidhi’s hands.
They left the event and Nidhi was driving initially. Anjali took over soon before the accident. The two were hit by a car. The deceased’s friend claimed that she fell to the other side of the road while Anjali fell toward the vehicle.
Nidhi stated, “She was in a drunken state but insisted on driving the two-wheeler. After being hit by the car, she came under the car, and got dragged with it. I was scared and went away and returned home, didn’t tell anything to anyone.”
“It is the fault of the girl who was driving in an inebriated state. I insisted to her so much that don’t drive, I am conscious, let me drive. She didn’t believe me and believed herself,” she added.
As per her side of the story, Anjali called her on December 31st and then she picked her up. After going to her home in Rohini, she and Anjali were partying with their male friends in an OYO hotel room. As per Nidhi and the hotel staff, Anjali started creating a ruckus in the hotel.
She stated, “The Baleno hit us head on. I fell to one side and she fell towards the front. My friend got stuck under the car. The men knew that a girl had rolled under their car. They deliberately ran over her. They knew. The girl was stuck under the car and she was screaming. I felt so hopeless that I went home.”
She added, “I went home and didn’t tell anything to anyone. I had panicked. I cried a lot. They drove forward and back twice. Forward and back. Twice. She was on her back. Probably got stuck in something. So they went forward and back. Then they just drove off, dragging her under the car.”
4. Women Commission Chief Swati Maliwal Seeks Probe Against Victim’s Friend Who Fled Away Crime Scene
Delhi Women Commission Chief Swati Maliwal has been demanding justice for Anjali and came down heavily on the victim’s friend for victim shaming. She slammed her for running away from the crime scene and leaving her friend on the road.
“Anjali`s friend is telling while sitting in the LIVE show how the boys ran over Anjali in front of her and this “friend” got up from there and went to her home. What kind of friend is this? She didn`t stop the boys, didn`t tell the police or any of Anjali`s relatives… went and sat in the house. This also needs to be investigated,” Swati tweeted.
Delhi police has come to know about the fact that she was accompanying the victim on the night of the incident after two days of the crime.
She also tweeted, “Shameful statements of the hotel manager are being aired on TV since morning. They are saying that the women were drunk and were fighting which is why they were thrown out. If the women were fighting after being intoxicated then the police should have been called. Why were they kicked out of the hotel late at night? Where is the proof of the women being intoxicated? STOP VICTIM SHAMING!”
5. Not Intoxicated, Says Anjali’s Family Doctor
While talking to the media, Dr. Bhupender Chaurasia who is a family doctor and a family member stated that there was no presence of alcohol in her abdomen. He is seeking directions to register a murder case.
6. Nidhi Is Lying, Not Anjali’s Friend: Accused Anjali’s Family
While talking to media persons, Anjali’s maternal grandmother Kanta claimed that Nidhi is lying about the series of events.
“I don’t believe her. She is lying. We did not even know Nidhi before this accident,” she said.
7. Delhi Govt Grants Rs 10 Lakh Compensation
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced compensation worth Rs 10 lakh for the victim’s family.
“Spoke to the victim’s mother, will get justice for the daughter. Will field the biggest lawyer. Her mother does not keep well, will get her treated for illness. Also, will give a compensation of ten lakh rupees to the victim’s family. The government is with the victim’s family. If there is any need in future also, we will fulfill,” he said.
8. Police System Collapsed: Former IPS Officer Kiran Bedi
Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi said that there is a need for the revival of the earlier police response system through police control room vans.
“I think the response system of the police has collapsed. Because, of the earlier system of the police control room vans, where you had a mobile police force, there were police vans in hundreds, spread all over the city. It was a very well-established system, developed over the years by respective police commissioners. Sometimes, I do not understand when and why the system was dismantled. The police control vans were handed over and given to police, probably to strengthen their resource– vehicular and manpower,” she said.
Instead of the police control room vans, which were like the mobile police force, who were always moving around different corners, on getting a call, they would have responded to the incident, she added.
“So I think, it was the consequences of a shift or a change in the policy of the police headquarters, when and why I don’t know. But had there been police control room vans, they would have got the message, and the response time would not have been the way it was,” Kiran said.
9. 5 Accused Arrested And Few Others Interrogated
The police has arrested Amit Khanna (25), Deepak Khanna (26), Mithun (26), Krishan (27) and Manoj Mittal (27).
The police has registered a case under Section 279 (rash driving) and Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code. Deepak Khanna (26), Amit Khanna (25), Krishan (27), Mithun (26) and Manoj Mittal have been arrested.
Reportedly, Manoj Mittal is affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is a party functionary from the Sultanpuri area. While commenting on the incident, a senior BJP leader stated, “He is a small-time party functionary. He was appointed as co-convener of our local data entry cell four days ago.”
“Delhi Police and L-G have not dared to say anything yet about how he is a BJP member. Inke mandal ka sah-sanyojak hai. I challenge Vinai Saxena to make public the call details of the accused. The accused was in constant touch with police and BJP netas,” said Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Other accused Deepak Khanna is a driver in the Gramin Sewa and Amit Khanna works at the State Bank of India. Krishan is employed with the Spanish Culture Centre in Connaught Place and Mithun is a hairdresser.
As per the investigation, the accused borrowed a Baleno car from a friend, Ashutosh.
“The five said the car’s windows were rolled up and they were playing loud music. When I asked them they must have felt an impact while driving when the body was stuck underneath, they said they thought the bumps were because of the bad road. Had they not been a little alert and sensitive, the woman would have survived,” said an investigation officer.
10. Eyewitnesses Narrate Horrific Incident
One of the witnesses, Deepak Dahiya owns a confectionery shop on Kanjhawala Road in Ladpur village. He stated that the car dragged the body for over 18 to 20 kilometres.
“It was 3:20 am…I was standing outside the shop when I heard a loud noise from a vehicle about 100 meters away. Earlier I thought it was a tire burst. As soon as the car moved, I saw a body being dragged. I informed the police immediately,” he said.
Dahiya added that after some time at around 3.30 am, the car took a U-turn and the body was still stuck under the vehicle. He stated that he shouted at the accused to stop the vehicle and also chased it on his two-wheeler. He also called Police Control Room but the police didn’t pay heed to his complaint.
Another witness in the case, a delivery boy submitted that the car took U-turn after they saw a police barricade at Kanjhawala road. “I was completing an order when at Maharaja Agrasen Chowk a car running at high speed almost knocked me down. When the car took a U-turn upon noticing the barricades I saw the head of a girl at the rear end of the vehicle,” he said.
11. What Is Kanjhawala Run And Drag Case?
What exactly happened to Anjali in Delhi? What is Delhi hit and run case?
The beginning of 2023 was horrific for Delhi as well as for the whole country after a gruesome incident that took the life of a 20-year-old. Anjali Singh, who was the sole breadwinner of her family was met with a brutal accident. Her body get entangled under a car and was dragged for over 12 km.
A girl with bigger dreams, Anjali wanted to become a beautician and open her own parlor. She wanted to give a good life to her ailing mother and three siblings.
