A husband’s birthday gift of a Thar to his wife turned into a near-tragedy in east Delhi when a good luck ritual went awry, sending the car crashing through a showroom’s glass wall and onto the ground, leaving locals stunned by the deafening smash. The incident took place Monday evening when Pradeep, his 29-year-old wife, Maani Pawar, and a showroom salesman were inside the car, police said.
Locals, who rushed to rescue those trapped inside, recalled that the woman, who was behind the wheel, pressed the accelerator harder than it should have while performing the ritual of squeezing lemons for good luck. The car crashed through the glass facade and fell about 15 feet onto the footpath down below.
Maani suffered minor injuries to her neck and was taken to Malik Hospital. Her husband and the salesman escaped unhurt, an official said. Eyewitnesses said the car first landed upright before flipping over.
Kapil, a local, said that the woman had come with her husband and a priest to perform a ritual after purchasing the car. “It was her birthday and they had booked the car a week ago. Her priest told her to not take the car home on that day as it was not an auspicious day. However, she insisted and wanted to take it out to drive,” he said
When the priest asked to squeeze the lemon for good luck, she pressed the accelerator harder than she should have. It seems she did not have experience of driving an automatic car, Kapil added. The car also damaged the priest’s motorcycle parked on the footpath.
“Thank god, no one was seriously hurt. The woman was traumatised and we pulled her out immediately,” Virendra, a guard at a nearby jewellery store, said.
Another local, Deepak, said a major tragedy was averted as the lane was relatively deserted on Monday, when most shops in the area remain closed. “On other days, the footpath is crowded with pedestrians and shopkeepers sitting outside,” he said. The crash caused panic in the area.
A worker at the Nirman Vihar Metro Station said he rushed out after hearing a loud noise and found the car wrecked on the ground with shattered glass all around.
The showroom has remained shut since the incident, with renovation posters put up at the entrance. “I came to buy a Thar today with my mother but they are closed. We will have to travel far now to get it,” a customer said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania said the accident was reported at 6.08 pm, involving Maani Pawar, a resident of Indirapuram, and Thar Roxx. No complaint has been received in connection with the incident, the officer added.
