Kanwariyas vandalise car in west Delhi, case registered

The Delhi Police has registered a case against unidentified persons after a group of Kanwariyas vandalised a car in west Delhi, vexed by the driver allegedly hitting one of them.

The incident took place yesterday on a stretch of busy road near Moti Nagar metro station causing a traffic snarl and forcing some of the terrified commuters to take a detour.

According to police, the grey i10 car was being driven by a woman, who was with a male friend, when the car allegedly hit a Kanwariya.

A heated argument ensued between the two sides and it was alleged that one of Kanwariyas was slapped by the male occupant of the car. Following this, the Kanwariyas damaged the vehicle with sticks, Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Vijay Kumar said.

Police said they received a call at 5.30 pm that a group of around 20 Kanwariyas were damaging a car.

An inspector who was present in the area, rushed to the spot and in the meantime, four Police Control Room (PCR) vans also reached there. The investigative officer located the damaged vehicle but neither the Kanwariyas nor the occupants of the car were present at the scene, Kumar said.

A video of the incident, captured by a CCTV camera installed at a nearby shop, showed the Kanwariyas breaking the car's windshields, windows and headlights with sticks and rods even as a policeman tried hard to stop them.

The rampage came to a halt only after the crowd had overturned the car in the middle of the road.

The couple fled the scene fearing for their lives and refused to give any complaint in writing, police said, adding that the CCTV footage of the incident was recovered.

On the basis of enquiries conducted by the police and available CCTV footage, a case has been registered, they added.

Meanwhile, several commuters who witnessed the rampage from close quarters expressed their fear and rued the lack of policing in the national capital.

"I was scared after seeing the Kanwariyas vandalising the car. I had to attend an important meeting but decided to postpone it," said Sonia Jha, a commuter.

Mithilesh Singh, who saw the entire drama unfold from a few feet away had to cancel his visit to the hospital to see his ailing uncle.

"It was a terrifying experience... I had to cancel my plan and return home," he said.