New Delhi, May 29 — Delhi Police Inspector Shyam Sunder Pawar (45) died on Thursday night after he was hit by an overspeeding car on Bhairon Road. Police say the offending car- a Maruti Suzuki Swift-was driven by Sahil Gupta (22), a businessman in east Delhi’s Dilshad Garden area. Gupta was apparently drunk at the time of the incident. The incident was discovered by a patrol party from the local police station around 12.30 pm. Police say, “Gupta’s car, after hitting Inspector Pawar, had crashed into an iron railing on the sidewalk where digging work for the Commonwealth Games is underway.” “Such was the impact that the front of the vehicle suffered irreparable damage. Pawar’s body was recovered 20 metres away from the accident spot,” said a senior police officer. Inspector Pawar, a 1994 batch police officer and from a family of police personnel, was posted as Inspector Investigations at the Kalyanpuri Police Station in east Delhi. “Prima facie, it seems that Inspector Pawar, who was standing behind his black Hyundai Santro, was talking on the phone when Gupta crashed into him. The left side of Pawar’s body was completely destroyed,” the officer said. Police said Gupta claimed he was trying to avoid a stray dog and lost control of the vehicle in the process. “Gupta was so inebriated that he confessed to having blacked out seconds before he hit the officer.” When the police patrol party reached the spot, Gupta was apparently trying to discard empty beer bottles from his car. He was pulled out of his damaged car by the patrol party. Gupta’s kin, however, refuted the police’s claims. “Sahil was not under the influence of alcohol. He doesn’t drink,” claimed his mother Veena Gupta (42). Gupta was released on bail on Friday evening. However, the police stood by their version of the incident.

“We have registered a case of attempting to cause death through negligence and are investigating the matter.”