Representative image of a broken windshield due to an accident.
Credit: iStock Photo
New Delhi: Family members of the 30-year-old documentary filmmaker who died in a road accident in south Delhi were preparing to host Kali Puja but as fate would have it, they are now making arrangements for Piyush Pal's condolence meeting.
Pal was killed when his motorcycle was hit by another two-wheeler near south Delhi's Panchsheel Enclave on Saturday. The incident, captured on a CCTV camera nearby, occurred around about 9.30 pm, police said.
Sunny Bose, a family friend, told PTI that the Pal family hosts Kali Puja at their Kalkaji residence every year. They usually erect a pandal for Kali Puja but it is tragic that now, they would be erecting one for Piyush Pal's prayer meet, he said.
The CCTV footage of the fatal crash showed Pal's motorcycle being hit by another two-wheeler being driven by Bunty, who works as a driver in Gurugram.
Following the collision, a case was registered against Piyush Pal on October 30 at the Hauz Khas police station based on a statement made by Bunty, police said. Officials, however, said that police were informed about Pal's death on Tuesday.
"We are not asking for any compensation. We only want justice for my brother. His motorcycle was hit from the rear, but police registered an FIR against him only," Pal's sister, who did not wish to be named, said.
According to the family, Piyush Pal was probably returning home from his swimming class and his bike speed was normal. He was about to make a left turn when another bike hit him from the rear, they said.
Bose said Pal was wearing an expensive helmet and almost all his riding gears but still he sustained multiple head injuries. 'His family and friends are still figuring out what had actually happened,' he added.
Piyush Pal was a brilliant student who studied film-making at a college here, Bose said. "He was earning well and had purchased the motorcycle."
A friend of the deceased said, "The incident took place at about 9.30 pm and people took him to a hospital after half an hour. He could have been saved had he been taken to the hospital on time. But all those who gathered there were busy clicking pictures and making videos of the incident."
According to his family members, Piyush Pal's mobile phone and a Go-Pro camera he used to record video for work are missing.
"Either on Saturday or Sunday, we will hold a meeting at the CR Park market, where his father runs a shop. I still remember that he always wanted to capture the struggle of those crew members of Bollywood in Mumbai. His dream project was to record how cancer patients survive and their message to the world," another friend of Piyush told PTI.