AAP candidate Santosh Koli succumbs to injuries, Kejriwal lashes out

Santosh Koli, who was a candidate in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections from Seemapuri constituency, was hit by a car and sustained severe brain injury

Santosh Koli, a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party candidate for Delhi polls who was critically injured in an accident, died today in a Gurgaon hospital after battling for life for 37 days.

"Santosh passes away. May her soul rest in peace," tweeted AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who had alleged foul play after the 28-year-old member of his core committee was critically injured when a car hit her motorbike in Kaushambi on June 30.

"We all resolve that we will not let her sacrifice go in vain. We have to take her struggle forward," he said in another tweet.

Koli, who was a candidate in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections from Seemapuri constituency, was shifted to a private hospital in Gurgoan on July 3 from a hospital in Ghaziabad district.

She had sustained severe brain injury when a car hit her motorbike from behind in Kaushambi area of Indirapuram locality when she along with a party colleague Kuldeep was going to party office.

She underwent a brain surgery and was put on life support.

She succumbed to her injuries at about 9:22 in the morning, her father Ranjeet Singh Koli said.

Kejriwal and other AAP members Manish Sisodia, Kumar Vishwas visited the mortuary in Gurgaon and paid their last respects to the departed soul.

They alleged that Delhi Police had done nothing to nab the culprits and had failed to even trace the car which caused the accident.

Santosh was a core committee member of Aam Aadmi Party and an aide of Kejriwal since 2005. She came in contact with him through his NGO Parivartan.

During his hunger strike as part of his "Civil Disobedient Movement" against "inflated" power bills in New Delhi, Kejriwal had stayed at Koli's house in Sundar Nagri.

Her father claimed that she was repeatedly getting threat calls from unknown persons and her life was at stake for being an AAP member.

Soon after the accident, AAP had alleged that Koli was getting threatening calls for contesting polls and hinted a conspiracy behind the accident.