2 boys run over by a taxi; 1 dead, other injured

Two eight-year-old boys were on Thursday hit by a taxi in Kandivali while they were playing Holi. While one of them died on the spot, the other sustained minor injuries. The incident took place around 4pm when both the victims, along with other children, were playing Holi near their house at Poiser in Kandivali (east) in Mumbai.

According to police, the deceased, Raj Ravishankar Tiwaria, a resident of Ramkrishna Society, was playing holi along with Nitin Govind Mishra who resides in the same area.

The accused, Nilesh Mishra, a taxi driver who also resides in the same area, was driving at a high speed.

“Mishra lost control of the taxi and knocked the kids down. Raj was crushed under the wheel and died on-the-spot, while Nitin was thrown away,” said police inspector Jitendra Koli of the Samta Nagar police station.

“Both the children were rushed to a private hospital nearby where Raj was declared dead and Nitin was given first aid and released from the hospital,” said Koli. Samta Nagar police station rushed to the spot and arrested the driver.

“Mishra was sent for a medical analysis to ascertain if he was driving under the influence of alcohol or any other intoxicant. We could not smell any liquor on his breath but after looking at the accident spot and considering how he suddenly lost control of the taxi, we suspect that he could be under some kind of intoxication,” said senior police inspector, Anant Kenjale of the Samta Nagar police station