Delhi motorist mows down Punjabi student after tiff over public smoking

Protesting against smoking in public proved to be fatal for a Sikh youth in Delhi, who was mowed down by a motorist on the AIIMS flyover for objecting to smoking.

Smoking kills, literally! Delhi man with throat cancer shoots dead friend for introducing him to cigarettes

The deceased, who has been identified as 21-year-old Gurpreet Singh, died on Wednesday owing to multiple serious injuries on the head.

The motorist also rammed into the Gurpreet's friend, who has been bound to a wheelchair after a surgery on his leg.

Argument turned ugly

The incident took place on Sunday. Gurpreet — a photography student — and his friend Maninder Singh had gone to an area near AIIMS in order to decide the location for a documentary film on people who live on the footpath.

The duo later stopped by a parantha shop near Safdarjung Enclave to grab some food.

It was here that they had a confrontation with the accused, one Rohit Kumar Mahanta, who was reportedly drunk.

"The man came smoking a cigarette and started blowing the smoke on my face. When Gurpreet protested, the man started abusing us and said we land up in the city from nowhere and start behaving as if we own the place," Maninder was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

"There was an altercation but we backed off as people there said the man was drunk. They advised us to leave the place rather than extend the fight," he added

While Mahanta, a resident of the defence colony, continued to threaten to kill them, the duo drove away on an Enfield Bullet motorcycle.

However the accused followed them in his car and hit them from behind at high speed. The bike was dragged on the road for quite a few metres before it crashed into an Ola cab and a rickshaw.

Mahanta allegedly reversed his Ford Figo car and tried to flee the scene.

The victims were immediately taken to the AIIMS trauma centre.

Meanwhile, the accused was nabbed by bystanders and handed over to the police. He has since been presented in court and is currently out on bail.

He has been booked under Section 302 for murder and Section 307 for attempt to murder.