Balwant Singh, retired Flying Officer and father of deceased Navjot Singh, who lost his life in a BMW crash, said that his son was to be promoted after six months and he himself was a careful driver.
“My son was a topper from the beginning. He was to be promoted after six months. He used to ride a bike very well, yet I lost him,” Balwant Singh has been quoted by NDTV.
Navjot Singh, Deputy Secretary in the Finance Ministry, died on Sunday after his Triumph bike was hit by a speeding BMW near Dhaula Kuan in south Delhi. He and his wife were returning home from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib when the collision took place between 1 and 1:30 pm.
The car was driven by a woman named Gaganpreet, with her husband also present. After the crash, both injured were placed in a delivery van and taken to New Life Hospital in GTB Nagar, nearly 19–20 km away. The hospital belongs to Gaganpreet’s father. Singh was declared dead on arrival.
According to the report, when his wife regained consciousness, she found herself on the seat of the van while her husband lay unconscious in the back. She said she kept asking to be taken to the nearest hospital instead.
“After some time, an acquaintance called to say that my father had met with an accident. I do not understand why he was taken to New Life Hospital in GTB Nagar, 20 km away, instead of a big hospital nearby,” said his son, Navnoor.
“There were neither adequate facilities nor emergency arrangements. Mummy was also getting bandaged on a stretcher in the lobby. Why were they not taken to AIIMS or any super-specialty hospital? Perhaps Papa would have been alive today," he has been quoted in the NDTV report.
As per the report, Balwant Singh said his son was a cautious rider and had only recently received the Triumph motorbike. “He used to ride a bike sometimes, his hobby was to ride bikes. Recently I bought a Triumph bike for him, worth Rs 3.2 lakh... Earlier he had a Royal Enfield. He used to ride the bike very gracefully on the road,” he recalled. “I cannot believe that my son is no more... He was to get promoted in six months' time... Everything is over.”
In the Finance Ministry, Navjot Singh had earned respect for his work, the report said. He oversaw India’s projects with the United Nations Development Program, travelled widely for official assignments, and had only recently met World Bank chief Ajay Banga.
His family continues to question the treatment he received after the crash. They allege he was not taken to a proper hospital in time and instead shifted to a nursing home in a delivery van. “Perhaps Papa would have been alive today,” Navnoor repeated.
Delhi Police on Monday arrested Gaganpreet Kaur, the driver of the BMW car involved in the Dhaula Kuan accident case, which resulted in the death of the motorcycle rider.
Kaur, 38, a resident of Gurugram in Haryana, was arrested during the course of the investigation.
Earlier, a Delhi Police team on Monday visited the residence of the deceased victim Singh, as part of the investigation into the Dhaula Kuan BMW accident and recorded the statement of eyewitness Gulfam, who took the injured to Nulife Hospital.
With inputs from agencies
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