Gurgaon: The e-rickshaw carrying iron rods that killed a 22-year-old cab driver should never have been on Dwarka Expressway in the first place. Yet, police have found that it travelled nearly 3km on the access-controlled highway undetected — much of it in the fastest right lane — before its protruding rods pierced the windscreen of a Hyundai Aura and impaled Shivendra Kumar.The findings have raised questions about enforcement and checks on one of NCR’s fastest corridors, where vehicles routinely travel at 100kmph or more. Police are now scanning CCTV footage from the expressway and adjoining roads to establish exactly where the e-rickshaw entered the speedway and identify its driver, who fled after the accident.Police suspect the e-rickshaw accessed the expressway either from Delhi-Jaipur Highway or Southern Peripheral Road. From there, it is estimated to have travelled around 3km before the collision near Sector 36A.What has surprised cops even more is the lane the driver chose. Instead of staying to the left, the e-rickshaw was allegedly moving in the overtaking lane on the extreme right — meant for the fastest traffic — despite carrying iron rods protruding several feet beyond its rear.The crash occurred around 1.30pm when Shivendra’s Hyundai Aura rammed into the rear of the e-rickshaw. The rods pierced the windscreen and struck him in the face and neck. A woman passenger travelling to Sector 38 escaped with minor injuries after the airbags deployed.An autopsy on Saturday confirmed that Shivendra died of blunt-force injuries to his face and neck. His body was later handed over to his family.According to the complaint filed by Shivendra’s father, Manoj Kumar, the e-rickshaw was carrying iron rods extending far beyond the vehicle and braked suddenly, leaving the cab driver with no chance to avoid the collision. He pointed to persistent violations on expressways despite restrictions imposed more than a year ago.In June 2025, traffic police — acting on NHAI’s directions and in compliance with observations of the Punjab and Haryana high court — prohibited motorcycles, scooters, tractors, e-rickshaws, three-wheelers, e-carts, quadricycles, multi-axle hydraulic trailers and other slow-moving or non-motorised vehicles from using the main carriageways of Delhi-Jaipur and Dwarka expressways. Such vehicles were asked to use the parallel service roads.At the time, police installed signboards, ran awareness drives and warned that the huge speed difference between expressway traffic and slow-moving vehicles, particularly those carrying unsecured loads, greatly increased the risk of fatal crashes.Commuters couldn’t agree more. “It’s still common to see e-rickshaws, tractors and other slow-moving vehicles entering the expressway through gaps or slip roads. They often continue for several kilometres before exiting,” said Mahesh Kumar, who commutes daily between Gurgaon and Delhi.A TOI visit after Friday’s accident found other violations continuing unabated. A crane was seen reversing on the expressway to avoid taking a longer route, while a car was driven on the wrong side without any apparent fear of enforcement.Traffic police data reflects the scale of the problem. Between Jan 1 and July 15 this year, 63,428 challans were issued for no-entry violations on Dwarka Expressway alone. Another 51,654 motorists were penalised for improper lane changes and 13,420 for driving without seat belts.A traffic police officer admitted that enforcement has its limits. “We carry out regular drives and issue challans against no-entry violations. But because of limited manpower, it is not possible to station personnel at every entry point round the clock. That’s where CCTV surveillance — our third eye — becomes crucial in identifying violations and taking action,” the officer said.Police have registered an FIR under sections 281 (rash or negligent driving) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the BNS against the unidentified e-rickshaw driver, who remains absconding.
