A family battles loss and legal system

New Delhi, September 5: On June 27, 60-year-old Nakul Rao Thatod decided to stretch himself on the pavement close to the tea shop where he worked after closing the shop at midnight. Two hours later, a speeding Esteem, driven by a Delhi Police officer’s son, killed him. The accused, 21-year-old Manjeet Singh, was drunk.

More than two months later, Thatod’s family is still in a state of shock. “My husband died 20 years ago. His younger brother, Nakul, supported me and my five children,” said Kamala Bai.

Thatods, natives of Amravati in Maharashtra, had migrated to Delhi in search of employment several decades back. Nakul’s wife died 15 years ago. He used to support his son Mangal, who works as a daily wager back in Amravati, and daughter Shobha who recently got married. From his meagre salary he was also supporting his deceased brother’s family. He was planning to visit his daughter around Diwali.

“He couldn’t afford to commute daily so he used to sleep on the pavement. I used to meet him every Thursday during my visits to the Sai Baba temple,” said Kamla Bai.

On that fateful day, Mayank Verma, son of a Supreme Court lawyer, and his personal security officer, Manjeet Singh, went to a pub in Greater Kailash. Later, they decided to eat at Comesum restaurant outside Nizamuddin Railway Station. A drunk Manjeet took a wrong turn and entered a lane while driving towards the railway station. When he realised his mistake, he took a wrong turn again, lost control of the vehicle, and climbed on to the central median opposite a police post where Nakul was sleeping.

His extended family lives in a one-bedroom house in one of the unauthorised colonies in Badarpur. They got to know about his death on a Saturday morning. It took them an entire day to get in touch with Mangal. “For two days we waited at the Nizamuddin police station to get an FIR registered,” alleged Kamla Bai’s son Sanjay.

Coping with the grief of losing a family member, the Thatods are now bracing themselves for a long legal battle. The hearing of the case will start on November 1.

“The lawyer has demanded 10 per cent of the compensation amount as his fee,” said Sanjay.

Total number of fatal accidents 853

Fatal accidents due to drunken driving 11

Total number of people prosecuted for drunken driving 5,500

... contd.

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