KATHMANDU, Aug 5: Five Indian nationals and one Nepali were mowed down and killed by a speeding car in the capital at 12:45 a.m., Wednesday. The car was being driven recklessly by a youth and there were two other people in it.
Those killed have been identified as Dharma Nath Singh, 50, and his wife Beena Singh, 46, of Kasawa Mehasi. Others killed were Madan Kumar Gupta, 29, Krishna Devi Gupta, 40, and her son Sanjay Gupta, 15, of Sitamarhi, Bihar.
All of them lived at Jyatha in rented quarters. The Nepali killed has been identified as 17-year-old Sujan Shrestha of Pokhare VDC-9, Sindhupalchowk district. Shrestha, who used to to work at a saree shop at Bhedasingh in the capital, was a passerby not associated with the Indian nationals.
Dipak Gupta, 28, also of Sitamarhi, who was injured during the accident, is being treated at Bir Hospital. He received serious injuries to the head and underwent surgery at Neuro Hospital, Bansbari. He is a relative of the victims and lives at Bangemudha in the capital.
According to police, Biplab Man Singh, 21, of Khichapokhari in Kathmandu was driving the Honda City Ba 4 Cha 8030 at considerable speed when it hit the people walking along the sidewalk.
They were returning from Bir Hospital after getting treatment for Sanjaya. The car crashed onto the pavement in front of the underground passageway at Bhotahiti. The front, back and right sides of the car have been damaged, indicating the severity of the impact.
Three youths including Singh left the car and fled the scene immediately after the accident. The car is registered in the name of Singh´s mother. It is not known whether the three were drunk.
According to security guard at Bir Hospital Hari KC, the Indians had visited the hospital at 10 p.m. Tuesday to get Sanjaya a checkup. They left at 12.30 a.m., Wednesday.
Soon after KC heard a loud noise 15 minutes after they left, police brought the victims to the hospital. All six died within minutes of reaching the emergency ward.
The absconding driver´s father and brother later surrendered themselves before the police. According to police, the father, Bidhya Man Singh, has agreed to provide compensation to the families of the victims and help police arrest his son. The family has also deposited Rs 100,000 at the Neuro Hospital for the injured´s treatment.
Following the incident, people gathered at Sundhara-Jamal area to protest the death of the innocents.
The area was kept off limits for vehicles throughout Wednesday due to demonstrations. Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel were stationed to prevent any untoward incident. Earlier, police used force to dispel crowds that burnt tires and shouted slogans.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Bhim Rawal has visited families of those killed in the incident and assured them of compensation. At a meeting at Baggikhana Traffic Office near Singhdurbar, he also promised them that the government would ensure punishment of the guilty. The families demanded maximum punishment for the guilty and also compensation.
Sorrow-stricken
Someone´s reckless driving has left the four sons of Dharma Nath Singh and Beena orphans. Their second son Bikash owns a mobile repair shop at Newroad. His elder brother is a mobile technician. The younger ones are studying in Delhi.
The Singh couple came to Nepal some 20 years ago and earned a living operating a tailoring centre. "How could I tell my brothers that father and mother are dead?" Bikash wailed.
Bhola Gupta, 45, wonders how to live the rest of his life with his two paralyzed limbs and take care of his 10-year-old son Rahul after the loss of his bread-winning wife Krishna Devi and also elder son Sanjay. Sanjay was a ninth grader at a local government school and would assist his mother at their footbath shop at Jamal after his morning shift classes.
Madan Gupta has left his family drowning in sorrow. His young wife has a son and two daughters, one of them only three months old. The footpath shop under the overhead bridge at Jamal was the only livelihood of the family.
"How can I continue living now," said a tearful Geeta, Madan´s wife, flanked by her children amid the crowd at Ratna Park, until she was called for a meeting with the home minister.
Eyewitness account
This is what Govinda Adhikari, sole witness to the fatal accident, says:
"I had noticed them at Bir Hospital Emergency where I had gone to see a friend who was undergoing treatment for poisoning. They exited the hospital at around 12:45 a.m. when I also went for a stroll toward Bhotahity. I was walking just behind them and heard the women requesting the others to turn left toward Asan. But the men decided to go straight toward Bhotahiti as the road ahead had street lights.
"As they neared the underground passageway, I heard the horn of an over-speeding vehicle behind. There was a motorcycle ahead of me. Music was blaring from the car as it overtook the bike and suddenly arched towards the underground passageway. I saw the car hit and fling two persons high into the air and then skid harshly to run over the others. Finally, it made a perfect U-turn, maybe because of the high speed, and rammed the brakes.
"Three guys, one with long hair and in sleeveless vest, came out of the car and ran towards Jamal. The biker tried to get hold of the driver but the other two wrested him away.
"Very soon, four cops arrived and others including taxi drivers from Bir Hospital area joined to take the victims to the hospital.
"It was the most frightening experience in my life."
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