"His Birthday Was Next Week...": Friend Of Man Killed In Delhi Road Rage

Just a few days short of his 26th birthday, Sahil Malik was brutally stabbed to death allegedly by some people in a road rage incident in west Delhi's Nangloi area.

"Sahil's birthday was on February 20 and we would have planned for a party or gone somewhere to celebrate, but now everything is gone," said Amanul Haq, who worked with Malik at a car showroom in Udyog Nagar.

Mr Haq (25) was with Sahil at the time of the incident around 7.20 pm Tuesday and said he tried to save him.

He said it all started when they were returning from their office in Udyog Nagar and Sahil received a call from his brother Vishal that he was involved in an accident, and was thrashed by some people who also damaged his two-wheeler.

"When we reached the police station, we got to know about the incident. Vishal's bike was damaged by the accused people. A policeman asked us to take the bike from the spot," Mr Haq said.

He said they went there and were clicking photos and videos of the damaged two-wheeler when "eight to nine people came and attacked us".

"Six of them caught Sahil and two caught hold my hands. They attacked Sahil with a knife. I took out a brick and tried to hit them. They fled from the spot leaving Sahil injured," Haq said, adding the accused were carrying a knife, rods, and sticks.

Sahil collapsed twice while heading towards his house, he said.

"I was taking him along with me towards his house when he collapsed twice. Nobody was ready to help us. Later, I took help from a person who rushed the injured to Sonia Hospital on his scooter," he said.

"Sahil was our advisor in the office where I work as a technical advisor. The incident took place around 7.20 on Tuesday," Mr Haq said.

Mukesh Kumar, who lives in the same locality, said he last saw the victim around 5 minutes before the incident.

"We saw Vishal's bike in accidental condition when Sahil was taking it along with him. I asked him to take it in a rickshaw and left the area on my scooter. Five minutes later, we got to know that some unidentified people have stabbed him and he was rushed to a hospital. Had we stayed there, Sahil would not have been killed," said Mr Kumar.

Vishal Malik said he was returning from the gym when an altercation took place.

"There was a truck ahead of my bike. When I reversed my bike, a minibus came there. The bus driver started abusing me. There were six to seven people inside the bus. When I asked him why he was abusing me, they all got down from the bus and a fight took place. The passengers of the bus pacified the situation. Later, the bus driver tried to run over my bike near the Nangloi metro station.

He said they tried to hit him again. "I ran away from the spot and had gone to the police station. Later, my brother also reached the police station when he saw my bike in a damaged condition. I submitted a complaint, following which the policeman asked us to bring the bike. When my brother had gone to take the bike, he was assaulted by the accused and later, he died," Vishal said.

Sahil is survived by his father, mother, one elder brother, and two sisters.

Shakeel Malik, the father of the victim, said Sahil had done a mechanical course and was preparing for MBA. Sahil had told his father he would apply for the master's programme in March.

There are two marriages in the family next month. "My niece and nephew are getting married in the first week of March -- but the atmosphere of celebration has turned into mourning. We four families live here in the same building," Shakeel said.

According to police, they received information on Tuesday at 8.10 pm regarding a stabbing incident.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Vishal was returning from the gym when he had an argument with an RTV driver after his bike touched the latter's minibus, police said.

The RTV driver called his friends and they thrashed Vishal. An injured Vishal then reached the Nangloi police station and filed a complaint.

Later Sahil went to the spot to get the bike. The accused caught hold of Sahil and stabbed him to death.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)