A five-year-old boy was fatally crushed by an e-rickshaw in south Delhi's Sangam Vihar on Sunday evening when another child inadvertently started the parked vehicle during play, an official said on Monday. The tragic incident, occurring in a crowded lane, has stunned the community and sparked a police investigation into safety oversights involving unattended vehicles in residential areas.

According to a senior police officer at Sangam Vihar station, a distress call via the Police Control Room (PCR) alerted authorities around 6 p.m., leading to an immediate response team deployment. The e-rickshaw, parked unattended while its driver stepped away briefly, became the unintended toy for neighbourhood children. One youngster, aged about seven, clambered aboard and fiddled with the controls, inadvertently activating the vehicle. As it lurched forward unexpectedly, the victim—who was frolicking nearby—slipped under its wheels, suffering catastrophic crush injuries. Trapped beneath the lightweight electric cart, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene before medical aid could arrive.

The deceased, identified as Aryan Kumar, hailed from a modest family in the same locality. His father, a daily wage labourer, was away in Bihar seeking seasonal work, leaving the child's uncle to supervise the household. The uncle, who witnessed the chaos unfold, attempted to free the boy but was overpowered by the vehicle's momentum. Crime Branch teams and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) swiftly arrived to scour the site for evidence, including skid marks and mechanical faults in the e-rickshaw, which bore no apparent defects in initial checks. Witnesses, including other playing children and residents, provided statements corroborating the accidental nature of the event, with no signs of foul play.

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Sangam Vihar, a sprawling unauthorised colony in south Delhi with over 200,000 residents, grapples with chronic issues like overcrowded lanes and unregulated parking, where e-rickshaws—vital for last-mile deliveries—often double as makeshift benches for idling drivers. Similar tragedies have dotted the capital's underbelly; just last month, a toddler in nearby Okhla met a similar fate under a parked scooter, underscoring the perils of unsupervised play in urban slums. Police have registered a case under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code for causing death by negligence against the e-rickshaw operator, though charges against the child starter are unlikely given his minor status. The boy's body underwent post-mortem at AIIMS Trauma Centre, with results pending to rule out any contributory factors.

As the family mourns amid financial strain—the father is en route back—the incident reignites calls for community vigilance and stricter vehicle-locking norms. Local NGOs have pledged support for funeral rites and counselling, while authorities vow enhanced patrolling in play-prone zones. In a city where children navigate concrete mazes daily, this loss serves as a stark reminder of the fragile boundaries between routine and ruin.

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