A 55-year-old chef, who sustained critical injuries after being struck by an SUV driving on the wrong side of the road, lost his life following a 27-day struggle in a Gurgaon hospital. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of December 6, has prompted legal action and highlights the deadly consequences of reckless driving.
A Fatal Night on Gurgaon's Roads
The victim, identified as Chandra Prakash, a native of Uttar Pradesh who worked as a chef in the city, was waiting near a broken-down autorickshaw around 1:30 am on December 6. He and his catering team had just finished a wedding assignment when they received news about the vehicle breakdown. As they stood beside the auto during repairs, a Ford Endeavour with registration number HR-98-2863 came speeding from the wrong direction.
The driver gave the group little time to react. The SUV crashed into Chandra Prakash and three others—Jogendra, Yogendra, and Vishal. "His ribs were fractured and he also suffered serious head injuries. The SUV driver was driving rashly. It was not foggy that night," recounted Sachin, the brother-in-law of the deceased.
From Assurance to Legal Battle
All four injured men were initially taken to the Civil Hospital in Sector 10. Due to the severity of his condition, Chandra Prakash was shifted to a private hospital, where he remained under critical care until he passed away on January 2.
Police revealed that the family did not file an immediate complaint as the SUV owner had assured them of covering all medical expenses, leading to a temporary compromise. However, after Chandra Prakash's demise, his son, Bobby, decided to seek legal recourse and approached the police.
FIR Registered Under New Strict Policy
Based on the complaint, the Sector 9A police station registered a case under sections 281 (rash driving), 125A (acts done rashly or negligently endangering life), and 106 (causing death due to negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A police officer stated, "We have the vehicle number and will soon trace the person who was behind the steering, causing this fatal accident." This tragic case comes close on the heels of a significant policy shift by Gurgaon police. To curb the rampant menace of wrong-side driving, a leading cause of accidents, the police announced on Friday that they would now register FIRs instead of merely issuing fines against offenders on arterial roads and highways. In 2025 alone, over 2 lakh vehicles were fined for this violation in Gurgaon.
Chandra Prakash is survived by his wife, three sons, and two daughters. The incident underscores the urgent need for stricter enforcement of traffic rules to prevent such needless loss of life.
