Gurgaon: A 32-year-old auto-rickshaw driver was beaten to death with an iron rod and an awl by a cabbie in the city’s busiest office district after a fight over who should give way.The assault unfolded in full public view in Udyog Vihar phase V on Monday evening, when the victim’s family alleged that passersby stopped to watch but did not intervene. They also claimed Arvind Kumar lay bleeding on the road before a commuter arranged an auto and rushed him to hospital.Arvind, who was from Rae Bareilly in UP but lived in Jharsa, died from severe head injuries. Dalip Kumar (32), a cab driver from Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, was arrested and an FIR was registered against him for murder.According to police, the incident took place around 8.30pm on an internal road in Udyog Vihar. Dalip’s Ertiga was approaching from the main road while Arvind’s auto was coming from the opposite direction. An argument over right of way began while both men remained inside their vehicles. But the confrontation turned deadly within moments, as they stepped out and exchanged blows.Police alleged Dalip attacked Arvind with an iron rod and an awl, repeatedly striking him on the head. The auto driver collapsed on the road, bleeding heavily.“The iron rod used in the attack has been recovered and the car seized. Further legal proceedings are underway,” a police officer said.Dalip, according to cops, was alone in the cab and was arrested soon after the assault. His family, however, disputed the police version, alleging he was accompanied by others who actually carried out the attack.“The injuries show he was brutally assaulted. His head was bleeding profusely and there were deep wounds caused by a sharp-edged weapon. One blow pierced through his hand,” a family member alleged.Police said the allegations are being verified.The attack took place amid evening congestion near Peepal Chowk, where a traffic signal had developed a technical fault and remained non-functional for nearly four to five hours.“Our personnel had to manually regulate traffic for several hours, leading to long queues on roads approaching the intersection,” a traffic police officer said.The incident also triggered questions over public apathy during violent crimes.A commuter who reached the spot moments after the assault claimed he found Arvind lying on the road while a crowd stood around.“I saw a large crowd surrounding a man lying on the road, with blood oozing from his head. I arranged for an auto-rickshaw and rushed him to a nearby private hospital,” he said. Arvind was later referred to Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body was sent for an autopsy.A pan shop owner near the spot corroborated that several people witnessed the assault but did not step in. “I heard screams for help and saw one man repeatedly hitting another with rods. Many people had gathered, but no one intervened or tried to rescue him,” he alleged.For Arvind’s family, the tragedy ended years of struggle just as life seemed to be improving. He had spent the past decade driving an auto in the city and had bought a new vehicle about a year ago, which he was still paying for in instalments.“He never picked fights. He had finally started overcoming financial hardships. He got married three years ago and left behind a two-year-old daughter,” his relative Pintu Yadav said.Another friend, Dhiraj Yadav, said he called Arvind around 9.30pm, but a police officer answered the phone. “I was told he had met with an accident. Only after reaching the hospital did we learn he had been killed in a road rage incident,” he added.Police said they were examining CCTV footage from cameras near the spot and questioning witnesses to reconstruct the sequence of events. Further action, officers said, will depend on the evidence gathered during the probe.
