- The scooter rider was hit by a car.
- The scooter’s body was dragged 7 miles before being discarded.
- Graphic details dominate prime-time news in India.
Enraged masses gathered in Delhi, India on Tuesday, to demand justice for a woman who was riding a scooter when she was struck and murdered by a car, then dragged for miles through the streets of India’s capital city.
The body of the woman, who was 20 years old and was riding a scooter, was hauled for up to 12 kilometers after it was involved in a collision early on January 1 with a car, according to the police of Delhi (more than 7 miles).
“We have information that the girl’s body was stuck in the car somehow and was dragged for about 10-12 kilometers,” Delhi police official Sagar Hooda told a news conference Monday. “Then at a turning, the body was dropped from the car.”
Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident, Hooda said.
A witness who was with the victim at the time of the collision is cooperating with police, he added.
“She was not injured and she left the site of the accident,” he said, referring to the witness. “The investigation is ongoing … we are looking at multiple angles and will soon complete it and the accused will get the strictest punishment possible.”
According to top Delhi police official Harendra Singh, the woman’s body had been severely disfigured and her shredded clothing had been discovered close to her body.
“The back of the head and her back were destroyed because of being dragged for so long,” he said.
India is in uproar at the graphic details, which are dominating prime-time news headlines and prompting many people to take to the streets to call for harsh punishment for those who are allegedly responsible.
On Monday, a large crowd gathered in front of a police station in the area where the event occurred. A inquiry has also been requested by senior MPs.
“My head hangs in shame over the inhuman crime,” Delhi’s Lt. Gov. Vinai Saxena wrote on Twitter Monday. “I am shocked at the monstrous insensitivity of the perpetrators … All aspects are being thoroughly looked into.”
Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s chief minister, said he had asked authorities “to take exemplary action against culprits.”
In India, where drivers frequently violate traffic laws and safety measures are not always properly adhered to, road accidents are widespread.
Approximately 154,000 fatalities on Indian roads were reported in 2021, according to the Transport Ministry. Nearly 58,000 hit-and-run accidents were reported nationwide during this time.
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