A 75-year-old labourer riding a cycle was killed Sunday and six others were injured after a speeding Delhi Transport Corporation bus hit them in west Delhi, police said. The bus driver was arrested.
Kapil Dev Sharma, a resident of Uttam Nagar, was killed in the accident that took place around 9.30 a.m. in the Vikaspuri area.
The bus, plying on route number 835 between Jaffarpur Kalan and Tilak Nagar, was heading towards west Delhi's Tilak Nagar at the time of the incident.
The injured included another cyclist and people travelling in two cycle-rickshaws. They were identified as Jagdish Sharma, Dileep, Naveen, Nitin, Naresh and Sheela.
All the victims were taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where Kapil was declared dead.
The other six were discharged after first aid.
"As soon as the bus crossed Uttam Nagar traffic signal and reached Vikaspuri the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit two cyclists and two cycle-rickshaws," a police officer said.
The bus stopped after it hit a tree, the officer added.
"Driver Surender Sharma has been arrested and the bus has been impounded," he said.
According to the officer, the driver claimed that the vehicle's brakes had failed.
"He claimed he rammed the bus into a tree to save the lives of the passengers in the vehicle," said the officer.
The officer said a team had been set up to ascertain whether brake failure led to the incident.
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