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.

... contd.