A drunken brawl, a pink police booth, and a fatal injury: How an e-rickshaw fare dispute turns tragic in Ghaziabad

A 22-year-old man died after suffering a severe injury outside a women's safety pink police booth in Ghaziabad, with his family alleging that police personnel inside failed to respond despite his repeated requests for help. The deceased, Rajkumar, a resident of Bihar's Siwan district, had reportedly approached the booth following an argument with an e-rickshaw driver over the fare. The incident took place on Sunday afternoon in the Madhuban Bapudham police station area, news agency PTI reported.

According to the family, Rajkumar reached the pink police booth in Sanjay Nagar Sector-23 after the dispute intensified. They claimed the booth's main gate was locked and that the women police personnel inside did not open the door even though he repeatedly appealed for assistance.

What happened?

The family alleged that after waiting for nearly 40 minutes without receiving any help, Rajkumar hit the glass door with his hand. The impact shattered the glass, severing a vein in his hand and causing heavy blood loss. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died during treatment.

Police said Rajkumar worked as a mechanic in Ghaziabad's Madhuban Bapudham area. On Sunday night, he asked an e-rickshaw driver, who lived near his residence, to drop him off at home.

“The e-rickshaw’s operator and its owner were sitting in the front, and Rajkumar was sitting with another passenger in the passenger seat. Following a dispute over fare, Rajkumar, who was drunk, started hurling abuses at the driver. A dispute broke out, and the e-rickshaw operator stopped at the pink booth for help,” a police officer was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

According to the officer, CCTV footage reviewed during the investigation showed that the e-rickshaw stopped near the pink police booth at 2.58 am. Two women constables were on duty at the booth at the time, she said.

“They are undertrained officers who have been on duty for just two months. The e-rickshaw operator complained to them that Rajkumar was drunk and was fighting with them. The constables asked them to go to the nearest police station, just a few metres away. The e-rickshaw operator left and the women constables shut the door of the pink booth,” the officer told Express.

She said the injured man was immediately shifted to a hospital but died while undergoing treatment.

The ACP said all aspects of the incident are being examined, and necessary legal action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.

‘He started banging on the glass door’

About 10 minutes later, Rajkumar returned to the pink booth and punched a wall, police said. He then began banging on the glass door, during which a piece of glass shattered and cut his hand.

“He then started banging on the glass door. At one point, a piece of glass broke and sliced his hand. Seeing this, the e-rickshaw operator, who was still in the vicinity, called an ambulance. The ambulance came after seven minutes. But before that, a police patrol bike reached the spot and rushed Rajkumar to a nearby hospital. However, he died during treatment,” the police officer said.

The officer added that doctors informed the police Rajkumar was under the influence of alcohol and had also consumed intoxicants.

“The doctor told us that Rajkumar was drunk and had also consumed dry intoxicants. He died due to excessive blood loss. His viscera has been preserved,” the officer said.