The father of the teenager accused of running over 23-year-old Sahil Dhaneshra in Delhi earlier this month has called the incident a “mistake” and said his family is “very, very sorry.”
Speaking to NDTV, he expressed regret over the fatal crash that took place near Lal Bahadur Shastri College around 12 noon on February 3.
Sahil Dhaneshra was on his way to the office when a Scorpio, allegedly driven by a minor, rammed his motorcycle head-on. The force of the crash also hit a parked cab, seriously injuring its driver. The teenager, who did not have a driving licence, was detained and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), which sent him to an observation home. On February 10, the Board granted him interim bail, citing his ongoing Class 10 board examinations, police said.
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'I am very, very sorry'
The father told NDTV, “I am also a parent. It was a mistake. I am very, very sorry.” Recalling the day of the accident, he said, “My wife got a call on the 3rd. It was around 11.30 or 11.45 am. The child met with an accident. I got scared. I asked her, "How did this happen? She said, 'It happened in a car. She was scared. I was scared, too.”
He added that he was not in Delhi at the time and returned the same evening. “We got all the information about the accident. They said, this is your car. We said, 'Yes sir'. They asked if this is your son, I said, 'Yes'. I told them I was away from home and I got to know through you and my wife's call about the accident. I presented all the documents to the police,” he said.
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Speeding challans
The father, who runs a transport business, admitted the SUV belongs to his company. He said the vehicle has 13 challans, including nine for speeding, but claimed the violations were by hired drivers. “We have drivers and the challans are because of them, not because my child was driving the car around,” he said.
He maintained he did not know his son was driving. “I never knew about it. He was very scared of me,” he said, reiterating that the teen did not have a licence.
He also denied claims that his daughter was filming social media content, saying, “No, she was not making reels. She was taking pictures and making a video.”
