NOIDA: A friend of two youths found dead in front of Army Public School in Noida on Dec 30 told TOI they were chased by an SUV that hurtled into their bike at high speed, sending them flying into roadside railings and killing them on spot.“It was not a hit-and-run accident but a clear case of road rage,” Pushpendra told TOI on Thursday. The trigger, according to him, was an altercation at an eatery in Sector 30 where his friends Basant Khasu (23) and Rohan Mandal (27) had stopped for parathas on their way back from a party.Pushpendra, who was at the same party, said Basant and Rohan had an argument at the roadside eatery with another customer. Pushpendra subsequently went looking for them. “I saw the SUV hit their bike. The SUV did not have a number plate. It stopped for a few seconds, then took a U-turn and sped away. I tried to chase, but lost it in dense fog,” he claimed.Basant and Rohan were flung into the railings next to the school so hard that their bike got entangled in the grille. Their bodies were found next to the bike, indicating they had no opportunity to move and the impact likely immediately killed them. Pushpendra said they had left for Rohan’s cousin’s birthday party around 10pm on Tuesday from Basant’s house at Nithari. Basant was a hotel management student at an institute in Film City.“Around 11.15pm, Basant and Rohan stepped out to drop one of our friends, Roshan. Around 11.40pm, Vikas, who was at the party with us, called Rohan to ask where he was. Rohan told him about the argument. After that, Vikas and I started for the spot on my bike. But we could not find them at the eatery, nor were they answering their phones. I dropped Vikas at the Sector 37 gate, took a U-turn and went towards DPS school. Near Dent Star, I spotted Basant and Rohan driving their bike at high speed and a black SUV right behind them,” Pushpendra said.He felt the argument at the eatery had blown up into a road rage after Vikas and Rohan’s conversation. Puspendra said he followed the car but lost them at the next T-point after they took a right turn towards Army Public School. It was densely foggy that night. “When I was approaching Army Public School, I saw a bike stuck to the grille there. The SUV, probably a Scorpio N, was right there. It reversed and sped off,” he said. “When I went closer, I saw Basant and Rohan. They were bleeding.”Basant, a third-year hotel student, lived with his brother Dheeraj and mother Sonam. His father Hari works as a chef in Kenya. Rohan was a contract worker with the fire department. Both lived in Nithari.Pushpendra’s account of an argument was corroborated by Sonam, who told TOI on Thursday that Basant had called Dheeraj for help. “Basant had called me at 11.18pm to say he was on his way home. Everything seemed fine. I did not feel anything was amiss. Around 11.30pm, Basant called Dheeraj and said Rohan had got into a fight with some people and they needed help. Dheeraj thought his brother was joking, so did not take him seriously,” Sonam said.“They hit both the kids badly. We need justice. My son had so many plans for his life. He was eager to finish his degree and get a job. He also told me about all the places he wanted to visit. All his dreams have gone with him,” Sonam added. She said police had told them the death was an accident. “Later, when we challenged that theory, the cops agreed that it did not look like an accident.” Basant’s father Hari, who took a flight to Delhi, said, “He wanted to become a chef and open a hotel. He was a quick learner. We don’t know how we will live without him. We live in a high-tech city like Noida, but even after 48 hours, police have not been able to find the culprits. We will keep fighting for my justice for my son,” he said.Police said they had formed five teams to track down the SUV. “We are scanning CCTV footage of the area. The issue we are facing is that the SUV did not have a number plate. But our teams are working and we will get a breakthrough,” a senior officer said. An FIR has been filed under BNS sections for rash driving and causing death due to negligence. Rohan’s autopsy indicates ante-mortem head injuries. Basant’s family did not agree to an autopsy. “I believe the men in the SUV were the same people with whom my brother and his friend had an altercation. It’s a clear case of murder,” Dheeraj told TOI.
