Father’s death in Delhi crash shatters 2 brothers’ dreams of joining armed forces

For Param Sharma and his younger brother Mohit, the dream was always the same, to wear the uniform one day and serve in the armed forces. But on Wednesday morning, those dreams came crashing down with the death of their father, a 52-year-old autorickshaw driver killed in a horrific road accident in Outer North Delhi.

Raju Sharma, the sole breadwinner of the family and a resident of Karawal Nagar, was among three people killed after his autorickshaw was hit from behind by a speeding truck in Alipur and then rammed into a stationed vehicle, police said.

The accident, which took place around 7:50 am, left four others injured, including members of a family travelling in the autorickshaw. Police said the impact completely mangled the front portion of the vehicle, trapping two passengers inside as rescue teams struggled to cut through the twisted metal.

“My father was the sole breadwinner of our family. He used to wake up at 6 am every day so that he could fuel our dreams,” said Param, a student of the Delhi University’s School of Open Learning who is preparing for recruitment exams for the Delhi Police and the Army.

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Mohit, who recently passed the Class 12 examination, is also preparing for competitive examinations with hopes of joining the forces.

“With him gone now, we do not know how we will survive. All our dreams have to stop for now,” Param said.

The grieving son also questioned suggestions that his father may have dozed off while driving. “They are saying my father was sleepy when he drove the autorickshaw. My father woke up at 6 am as always. How can he feel sleepy in such a short period of time? They need to stop making such allegations,” he said.

According to police, seven people were travelling in the autorickshaw when it was allegedly hit by a truck at high speed. The collision left bloodstain scattered across the road and reduced the CNG autorickshaw to a heap of twisted metal.

Raju Sharma, a nine-year-old girl and an unidentified passenger succumbed to their injuries, while four people were shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital due to the seriousness of their condition.

Param said they have still not informed their mother about the tragedy. “My mother is diabetic and has blood-pressure issues. We do not know how to tell her. We are still waiting for my father’s body,” he said.

Police have registered a case and launched efforts to trace the truck involved in the accident.