Techie dies after car rams crane parked without signs in Gurgaon

GURGAON: A 29-year-old software engineer with Cognizant died in the early hours of Saturday after his car crashed into a crane allegedly parked on the road without warning signs near Sikanderpur metro station.Abhishek Kumar, who was from Bihar's Sitamarhi district, was returning to his rented accommodation in DLF Phase-3 when the accident occurred around 1.05am on the stretch between IFFCO Chowk and Mehrauli, close to Sikanderpur station.According to the complaint filed by his father, Arinjay Kumar Mishra, Abhishek was driving car number HR26BY/0494 when he failed to spot the crane and crashed into it. The crane was parked on the road for the installation of surveillance cameras.The complainant alleged that the crane had been left in "a dangerous position without any indicators or parking lights, cones, reflectors or any cautionary signage in place to alert approaching motorists".The collision was devastating. Abhishek suffered critical injuries and was rushed to Narayana Hospital in DLF Phase-3 with the help of police personnel. Doctors, however, declared him dead during treatment.Abhishek worked as an engineer at Cognizant in DLF Phase-3 and lived nearby in rented accommodation. His father, a resident of Dhobaha village under Mahendrawada police station in Sitamarhi, accused the crane driver and the contractor handling the camera installation work of gross negligence.In his complaint, he alleged that the roadwork was being carried out for the installation of GMDA cameras by a private company, and that mandatory safety measures had not been put in place at the site.Police said head constable Dinesh Kumar was on naka duty at MG Road when information about the crash was received through the ERV system. A police team reached the spot and shifted the injured man to hospital.Based on the complaint and preliminary inquiry, a case was registered under sections 285 and 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sabhita at DLF-2 police station, dealing with danger or obstruction on a public way and causing death by negligence.Police said they were working to identify the crane driver and contractor involved in the roadwork.A GMDA official said the camera installation project was being executed by a leading car maker under its CSR initiative. GMDA's role, the official said, was limited to facilitating integration of the cameras with the ICCC network after installation was completed. The on-ground execution, including deployment of contractors and obtaining permissions, was being handled by the implementing agency."According to the information available with us, the agency had taken the required permissions from police and carried out barricading and other arrangements at the site. The police are investigating the incident and will ascertain the exact circumstances," the official said.