'Those cold-blooded murderers DESERVE…’: Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir on Kanjhawala death case

Kanjhawala death case: Delhi Police said a medical board has been constituted to conduct the post-mortem. Based on the post-mortem report, fresh charges could be added against the five accused arrested in connection with the case, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda said at a press conference.

New Delhi: Amid growing resentment and public outcry over the death of a 20-year-old girl after being allegedly hit and run over by a car in northwest Delhi`s Khanjhawala locality on New Year’s night, former India cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir on Monday demanded strictest punishments for those cold-blooded murderers. Condemning the actions of all those believed to be responsible for the shocking incident, the BJP MP said the "cold-blooded murderers" deserve the strictest punishment. Gambhir added that the visuals of the incident are ‘shocking’. Gambhir also took to Twitter and tweeted, "The visuals (of the Khanjhawala incident) are shocking. Skin from the back of the victim was completely scraped off. Those who dragged and killed the girl with their car are cold-blooded murderers. They deserve the strictest punishment (sic)."

Visuals are shocking. Skin from the back of victim was completely scraped off. Those who dragged & killed girl with their car are cold blooded murderers. They deserve the strictest punishment. — Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) January 2, 2023

The five accused, who were in the car which hit the 22-year-old’s scooty and dragged her for several kilometres on Sunday, were later arrested. Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer District), Harendra K Singh, informed that five people had been arrested in the Kanjhawala case and a case under 304 A (death due to negligence) of the IPC was registered against them.

They were produced before a court in Delhi`s Rohini which sent them to three days of police custody for interrogation. Deepak Dahiya, a key eyewitness in the case who runs a confectionery shop on Kanjhawala Road in Ladpur village, had earlier told ANI that the accused kept dragging the girl`s body, which got entangled under their vehicle, for 18 to 20 kilometres in a span of about one-and-a-half hours.

"It was 3:20 am...I was standing outside the shop when I heard a loud noise from a vehicle about 100 meters away. Earlier, I thought it was a tyre burst. As soon as the car moved, I saw a body being dragged. I informed the police immediately," Dahiya said.

After some time, he said, around 3:30 am, the car took a U-turn and the lifeless body of the woman was still stuck under the vehicle. Dahiya said the accused drove repeatedly on the road of about 4-5 kilometres by taking U-turns. "I tried to stop them many times, but they did not stop the vehicle. For about one-and-a-half hours, they drove around with the girl`s body for about 20 kms,” he said.

Dahiya added that he also chased the car with his bike and informed the police. After about one-and-a-half hours, the body fell from the car near Jyoti village on Kanjhawala Road, after which the accused fled, he said. "It could not be just an accident," Dahiya stressed. The police had earlier said the girl`s clothes and even the back had been scraped off.

The body was sent to the SGM hospital, Mangolpuri, where she was declared brought dead. The body was kept at the hospital`s mortuary. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also said that the strictest sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) should be slapped against the perpetrators in the case. Kejriwal added that he spoke to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and asked him to take exemplary action against the culprits.

Taking to Twitter Kejriwal said, "Spoke to Hon`ble L-G on the Kanjhawala incident. Requested him to take exemplary action against culprits, strictest sections of IPC should be slapped against them. No leniency should be shown even if they have high political connections. He assured me that he will take strong action."

The car was later traced, and the five occupants were apprehended from their houses, the police confirmed.