Retired IAS Officer, Son Remanded to Judicial Custody After Metro Seat Brawl Leads to Passenger's Death

New Delhi: A 65-year-old retired IAS officer, Sanjay Pratap Singh, and his 36-year-old son, Siddharth Singh, have been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody following the death of a 48-year-old man in an alleged assault aboard a Delhi Metro train. 

The incident, which stems from a heated argument over reserved senior citizen seats, occurred on October 8, leading to an FIR registered on October 9.

The victim, Pawan Sharma, a resident of Yamuna Vihar, was returning home from Gurugram around 4:00 PM with his 65-year-old mother, Durga Sharma. 

Having boarded the train at Dwarka Sector 21, both were seated on seats designated for senior citizens. According to the police complaint, the altercation began when the father-son duo boarded the train at the Supreme Court Metro Station and rudely demanded that the pair vacate their seats.

Although Pawan agreed to move, he objected to their tone and reportedly remarked on the older accused. The FIR states that Sanjay Pratap Singh responded by grabbing Pawan by his collar and slapping him. 

When Pawan resisted, Siddharth allegedly grabbed him by the neck and punched him repeatedly in the chest. Durga Sharma alleged that the retired officer forcefully held her hands to prevent her from intervening. During the scuffle, Pawan suddenly collapsed onto the floor of the train and lost consciousness.

Alerted by alarmed passengers, metro authorities intervened, taking the accused off the train and dispatching Pawan via a CATS ambulance to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital. 

Doctors declared him dead on arrival. The Medico-Legal Case (MLC) report recorded multiple small bruises on Pawan's right cheek, chest injuries near the neck, and an abrasion on his right thumb.

Pawan, who was 48, is survived by his wife and two children. Seeking strict legal accountability, his younger brother, Deepak Sharma, demanded capital punishment for the accused. "Our only demand is that we get justice, and they should at least be sentenced to death," Deepak stated.

The Delhi Police have arrested both accused, and an investigation into the detailed cause of death remains underway as post-mortem reports are awaited.