New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): The father of Sarthak Mattoo, who died after allegedly being hit and run over by a vehicle near the Rajokri flyover, has demanded justice, alleging that the occupants of the vehicle abandoned his son on the road after the collision.
Sarthak Mattoo died after allegedly being involved in a collision with a vehicle in the Rajokri area on June 25.
According to Delhi Police, “The deceased was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. The deceased was behind the vehicle (Thar), and the vehicle changed lanes dangerously on the highway, and the victim hit his bike into the left side of the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle is being traced.”
Sarthak’s father, Surender Mattoo, said his son was travelling from his home in Gurgaon to Noida for work on the morning of June 25 when the incident took place.
Speaking to ANI, Surender Mattoo said, “On the morning of the 25th, he was heading from his home in Gurgaon to Noida for work. He works for an event management company in Gurgaon. He must have left home around 6.30 or 6.40 AM. I don’t know the exact time. He was on his bike and wearing a helmet. We later learned he was going to Noida for office work. The incident occurred near the Rajokri flyover.”
“A Thar came up from behind and hit my son. After the collision, the vehicle ran over him and left him lying on the road. They just left him there,” he alleged.
Recalling how the family learned about the incident, he said a passerby who witnessed the incident alerted Sarthak’s office.
“We received a call from one of Sarthak’s colleagues. A kind passerby had witnessed the accident. He even sent the location where he saw the Thar. It had a Karnataka registration number. This kind person saw Sarthak lying there, picked up his phone, and saw that the last call was from Sarthak’s office, so he called the colleague. He then called the PCR. We received the call from the office colleague around 7.30 or 7.45 AM, informing us that Sarthak had met with an accident. By the time we reached the Spinal Injuries Hospital, he was gone. They left my son lying on the road. The least they could have done was take him to the hospital,” he added.
The grieving father said he was informed that two people were allegedly inside the vehicle and appealed for strict action against those responsible.
“We learned there were two people in the vehicle… I appeal to all of you, please. I want justice,” he said.
Holding his son’s helmet, he said, “He was wearing a helmet. Look how sturdy it is, look at the scratches on it. I cannot bring myself to show you the condition of his clothes; it is too painful for me to bear. His mother is inside, shattered and lifeless with grief.”
The grieving father said it was his deceased son’s birthday today. He appealed to senior government officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, seeking intervention.
“I want to appeal to the Commissioner, Rekha Gupta, Amit Shah, and Prime Minister Modi. Sir, please help us. Where can common people like us go? There is no one to listen to us. Nobody understands, sir. We have nowhere else to turn. We are taxpayers,” he said.
Questioning the delay in the medical examination process, he added, “Commissioner, sir, your police personnel sent us to Safdarjung Hospital for a blood test after a delay of 50 hours. After 50 hours, Commissioner, sir, what traces of alcohol could be found in that blood? Please, I want justice for my son, my only son. It is his birthday today. He would have turned 34 today.”
Surender Mattoo demanded the arrest and strict punishment of those responsible.
“I request you, with folded hands… Arrest my son’s killers. Have them hanged. They should be put behind bars. They are killers….This was not merely a collision or an accident. It was a hit-and-run, a deliberate act of killing a young man under the wheels of a Thar bearing a Karnataka registration number. I simply request that you ensure I get justice,” he added.
Devastated family members of Sarthak Mattoo, who died after being allegedly involved in the incident on the morning of 25 June, mourn his loss and demand justice.
Meanwhile, police had apprehended a 30-year-old man in connection with a road accident that claimed the life of a Gurugram-based event management professional in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area, police said.
According to Delhi Police, a PCR call was received at Vasant Kunj South Police Station on June 25 reporting that a car had collided with a motorcycle, leaving the rider critically injured. The victim, identified as 34-year-old Sarthak Mattoo, a resident of Gurugram, Haryana, was taken to the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre by PCR personnel but was declared dead on arrival.
“Accordingly, an FIR dated June 25 was registered at PS Vasant Kunj South. The post-mortem examination was conducted at Safdarjung Hospital, following which the body was handed over to the family. Further investigation in the case is in progress,” Delhi Police said.
During the investigation, police traced the alleged offending vehicle, a Mahindra Thar, which was registered in the name of a Bengaluru-based private company. The SUV had been leased to Sagar Saha (29), a Bihar native employed with the company and posted in Bengaluru.
During questioning, Saha allegedly told investigators that his friend, Apurv Singh (30), a native of Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh and currently residing in Gurugram, was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, while Saha was seated in the front passenger seat.
Police said the Mahindra Thar has been seized as part of the investigation. The accused driver, Apurv Singh, has been apprehended and subjected to a medical examination at Safdarjung Hospital. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
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