New Delhi: Pawan Sharma’s family was planning to celebrate his 49th birthday on Nov 2. His younger brother, Deepak (45), had a surprise in store for him. Instead, the Sharmas are now left grappling with a monumental loss that Deepak says began with an argument with a father-son duo over seats reserved for senior citizens on a Delhi Metro train and ended in Pawan’s death.On Oct 8, Pawan and his mother, Durga Sharma (65), were returning to their Yamuna Vihar home after visiting an unwell Deepak in Gurgaon. Sanjay Pratap Singh, a retired IAS officer, and his son, Sidharth Singh, both residents of Noida, boarded the train at Mandi House. According to police, an argument broke out over the seats where Pawan and his mother were sitting.According to Durga, the two rudely asked the Sharmas to vacate their seats. “We got up, and my son told them they could now lie down on the seats. The older man grabbed Pawan by the collar and slapped him. When he objected, the man’s son assaulted him. When I tried to intervene, the older man restrained me,” she said. Deepak said, “My brother had given up the seat but was still subjected to rude remarks by the other party.”When the train reached Supreme Court metro station around 5.47 pm, Pawan became unconscious, police said, adding that he was rushed to LNJP Hospital, where he was declared dead.Later, Deepak received a call from his mother. “She was completely distraught. She kept saying on the phone, ‘Mar gaya, mar gaya tera bhai gir gaya’ (He is dead, your brother has fallen down),” he recalled.Unable to comprehend what had happened, Deepak called her back. His mother told him she was taking Pawan to hospital in an ambulance. Deepak then spoke to the ambulance staff, who asked him to reach the hospital. Pawan was no more by the time Deepak reached there. “My mother was fainting. The hospital staff did not tell her, but when I reached there, I was told that he had already died,” he said.Deepak alleged that his brother had been punched in the chest during the altercation, adding, “Pawan was not an aggressive person. He was a family man and never fought with anyone.”Pawan’s death has left his wife and two children without their primary financial support. His 19-year-old son is in the first year of college, while his 15-year-old daughter studies in Class X. Pawan used to work as a clerk and was the sole breadwinner for his family.After their father’s death, Pawan had taken responsibility for the household, stepping into the role of the family’s main support. He had hoped to give his children a better future, his brother said. “But now, everything is over.”Police recorded Durga’s statement and registered a case against the father-son duo under Sections 105 and 3(5) of BNS, relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and acts committed with common intention. Both men were arrested based on evidence collected during the investigation and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
