Man Dies After Fight Over Delhi Metro Seat; Ex-IAS Officer, Son Arrested

A 48-year-old man was killed after a dispute over seats reserved for senior citizens aboard a Delhi Metro train allegedly turned fatal, leading to the arrest of a 65-year-old retired IAS officer and his 36-year-old son. The two accused, Sanjay Pratap Singh and Sidharth Singh, residents of Noida, have been remanded to 14-day judicial custody.

The incident took place on October 8, when the victim, Pawan Sharma, was travelling towards Yamuna Vihar with his 65-year-old mother, Durga Devi. According to police, a heated argument erupted over the seats reserved for senior citizens after Singh and his son boarded the train at Mandi House.

Sharma and his mother were seated in the designated seats. “A dispute arose between Sharma and the father-son duo over the seat. The argument escalated into a physical altercation,” police said.

The situation took a tragic turn when the train reached Supreme Court Metro station, where Sharma reportedly collapsed and lost consciousness. The Supreme Court Metro police station received information about an unconscious passenger on platform 1 at around 5.47 pm.

A senior police officer said Sharma was taken to LNJP Hospital along with his mother, but doctors declared him brought dead by the time the police arrived at the hospital.

Mother recounts alleged assault inside Metro train

Sharma had travelled to Gurugram with his mother to visit his brother and was returning home when the confrontation occurred. Durga Devi alleged that the two men approached them as the train reached Supreme Court station and rudely demanded that they vacate their seats.

“They rudely asked us to vacate our seats. We got up, and my son then told them they could now lie down on the seats. The older man grabbed Pawan (Sharma) by the collar and slapped him. When he objected, the man’s son assaulted him. When I tried to intervene, the older man restrained my arm.”

Police recorded the mother's statement during the preliminary inquiry. Based on her account, a case was registered under Sections 105 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deal with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and acts committed with common intention, respectively.

Police said the father and son were arrested based on evidence gathered during the investigation.

The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days as the investigation into the fatal Metro altercation continues.