Idol immersion: Tractor driver accidentally presses accelerator, 1 killed, 4 injured

Ganesh idol immersion procession turned into a tragic event after a tractor driver accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, running over and killing a teenager and injuring four women in northeast Delhi's Nand Nagri, police said Monday.

The accused driver, Gautam (24), was arrested on Monday, they added.

The incident took place barely a kilometre away from the Nand Nagri police station at around 2 pm on Sunday. The deceased, identified as Karan (16), was a resident of Khoda colony, Ghaziabad.

According to Neha, Karan's sister and a witness to the accident, she had gone with Karan to her brother-in-law's home at Sundar Nagari for Ganesh idol immersion.

At around 1.30 pm, they took the Ganesha idol for immersion. Along with other devotees, they were dancing in front of a tractor in which the idol had been placed, they added.

During the celebration, the tractor driver suddenly started dancing. While he was dancing, he lost control of the vehicle and accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of applying the brake, causing injuries to five of the devotees.

Soon after, there was a stampede-like situation on the spot and other devotees ran helter-skelter, Neha said in her complaint.

According to police, the five victims were rushed to GTB hospital where Karan was declared brought dead. The other four had minor injuries and they were discharged after treatment.

Amid the chaos, the driver left the tractor and fled the spot.

The vehicle bearing a Uttar Pradesh registration number was seized and the driver arrested later, police said..

Gautam is a resident of Mandoli and originally belongs to Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, they added.