New Delhi: Over the years, fatal crashes involving underage drivers have wrecked several families in Delhi, leaving them grieving and financially strained while forcing them to fight protracted legal battles.From Civil Lines in 2016 to Mayur Vihar in 2024 and Samaypur Badli last year, minors behind the wheels have changed the essence of existence for many — leaving siblings without brothers, parents without any support, and children without fathers.
Take the case of the Sharmas. In 2016, a minor driving a Mercedes at high speed fatally struck Siddharth Sharma, a 32-year-old marketing executive. In a blink, a promising life was cut short and a family devastated.Sharma’s sister, Shilpa Mittal, told TOI, “We have completely failed as a society. Parents give their children vehicles to drive, and society does not object. People take pride in saying, ‘Our young son or daughter drives a car.’ This is not a matter of pride, but a shame. Minors should not be driving.”She also criticised the law enforcement, saying investigations move slowly and trials continue for years. “I have been fighting this case for 10 years. When I began this fight, I knew that nothing could bring my brother back. For me, it will never be a victory, no matter what the outcome is. But we are fighting to set a precedent — that you cannot simply get away with this crime,” she said.Shilpa said she still lives with a sense of void. “In every moment of happiness in life, you remember your loved ones. Incidents like those bring back so many painful memories. The worst part is you don’t even get time to grieve. The system entangles you so much in the pursuit of justice that you cannot sit quietly in a room and cry. I haven’t had the time yet — I am still fighting,” she added.In March 2024, 22-year-old Sheetal Devi was killed and nine people were injured when a 17-year-old boy drove his car into a crowd of shoppers at a market in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar.Sheetal’s brother, Kapil Dev, said that her death forced him to drop out of school and start working to support the family. “My sister used to work at a factory in Noida, earning around Rs 10,000 a month. She used to support our education and send money to our parents in Lakhimpur Kheri. The rest would go towards our rent here and her own studies,” he said.The family hasn’t received any compensation yet, Kapil claimed. “My sister went to the market to buy clothes and other items before she was to visit Lakhimpur Kheri for Holi. When I heard about the crash, I rushed to hospital, but by then she was dead,” he recalled, adding that she had moved to Delhi just six months before the accident to support the family. “With her gone, it feels like our entire world has collapsed,” her brother said.In August last year, 32-year-old Sujeet Mandal was hit by a car driven by a minor and dragged nearly 600 metres in northwest Delhi’s Samaypur Badli. He didn’t survive.His brother, Ajeet Mandal, said the tragedy destroyed the family. “Losing the eldest son — and a father awaiting the birth of his child — was unbearable. Two months after his death, his daughter was born. He had so many dreams for the kid and wanted to build a house for the family, but everything is over now,” Ajeet said, adding a case is on in court. Sujeet was the family’s main source of income. Although Ajeet had taken up a job just before the accident, his brother’s death placed the full financial responsibility on him. The Mandals, too, have not received any compensation. “We want govt to help our parents, my sister-in-law and her daughter,” he added.
