New Year hit-and-run case shocks Delhi; CCTV confirms young girl was dragged under car for kilometres

Shocking CCTV footage has emerged that shows a 20-year-old girl being dragged underneath the car that hit her near the Sultanpuri locality of New Delhi around 3 am on January 1. The police have arrested five persons who were reportedly inebriated and fled from the spot after ramming into the victim's scooty. They reportedly dragged her body for a distance of around four kilometres.

The woman's naked body was recovered later in Outer Delhi's Kanjhawala. According to the police, which ruled out any sexual assault, the victim's clothes got torn off as she was dragged on the road after the accident.

The youths were returning to their residence in Mangolpuri from Murthal, Sonipat, when the accident happened. According to eyewitnesses, they panicked and fled the spot without realising that the young girl was being dragged under their vehicle. Some passersby even saw the body being dragged under the car. The CCTV footage shows the grey Suzuki Baleno taking a U-turn at around 3:34 am with the body of the victim being dragged underneath.

The victim's body was sent to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital at Mangolpuri for post-mortem. Police said the victim's leg got entangled in one of the wheels of the car, and she was dragged for around four kilometres. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday condemned the "shameful" incident and demanded that the culprits be "punished severely". In a Twitter post in Hindi, the Delhi Chief Minister said, 'It is shameful what happened to our sister in Kanjhawala. I hope that those responsible are punished severely."

'This is a case that shames our humanity'

Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the city police in connection with the incident. DCW chief Swati Maliwal on Monday asked police to clarify if the victim was sexually harassed and if the accused had a criminal history.
  
"I have some questions for Delhi Police. Was she sexually harassed by the accused? Was she killed like this after she protested the harassment? For how many kilometres was she dragged under the car? Was there no checkpost or PCR van deployed on the stretch that she (was) dragged on," she asked.

She further said, "Did the accused have previous criminal cases? We have issued a summon to Delhi Police and want them to answer these questions. Till when will our girls be killed like this? This is a case that shames our humanity. This is a very scary incident that happened in the national capital."

'Head hung in shame'

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, too, condemned the incident and said that his head hung in shame over "the inhuman crime".

Even as every possible support/help and beyond, to the family of the victim will be ensured, I appeal to all to not resort to opportunistic scavenging. Let's together work towards a more responsible and sensitive society.

— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) January 1, 2023