Schoolgirl killed 2 injured as speeding e-rickshaw overturns in Delhi's Paharganj

     New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) A 16-year-old schoolgirl was killed and two others injured after an e-rickshaw overturned allegedly due to rash driving in central Delhi's Paharganj area, police said on Tuesday.
     Earlier, police had stated that three people had been injured.
The incident marked the second fatality in under a month linked to an e-rickshaw.
     Dilip, 46, a local who was driving the rickshaw, was caught by passersby and handed over to the police.
     He was ferrying one man and two schoolgirls.
     According to police, the accident occurred on Monday at around 7.30 am in front of Paharganj Police Station.
     Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan in a statement said the driver allegedly ignored a red signal and sped through a crossing before toppling. 
     "One of the girls suffered a severe head injury and was declared brought dead at the hospital. The other girl, a minor, sustained injuries, while the male passenger, identified as Mohammad Jahid, suffered a leg injury," the officer said.
     Jahid, in a statement to police, said he had boarded the e-rickshaw with the two schoolgirls and the incident took place at Paharganj Chowk.    
     The e-rickshaw was seized, and the case was referred to the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) for strict legal action, the DCP said. 
     The girl's body awaits post-mortem, while the two injured are undergoing treatment, police said.
     On August 27, an eight-year-old girl died after an e-rickshaw carrying students overturned in northeast Delhi's Maujpur area.
     The e-rickshaw first collided with a motorcycle and then overturned, killing the class 3 student, an officer had then said.
     Tuesday's incident reignited concerns about the safety and regulation of e-rickshaws in Delhi, where the battery-operated vehicles have become a common mode of transport, particularly for schoolchildren and office-goers.
     Delhi Traffic Police data show that between January 1 and August 20, e-rickshaws were involved in 108 road accidents, resulting in 26 deaths and 130 injuries.
     Between January 1 and June 15, more than 2.3 lakh challans were issued to e-rickshaw drivers for violations such as reckless driving, improper parking, and operating without valid licences or beyond permitted hours.
     Though around 1.2 lakh e-rickshaws are officially registered in the city, thousands of them operate without permits or documents, adding to congestion and safety risks on already crowded roads.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)