Hyderabad: The three-year-old girl who was battling for her life at a private hospital after being run over by a police van near the old Yadadri temple succumbed to her injuries during the early hours on Sunday. The police, who arrested the van driver, an Armed Reserve Head Constable, have altered the case to a case of death due to negligence.
P. Pranita, a resident of Saroornagar, visited the Yadadri temple with her father and other family members on May 8.
After offering their prayers, her family decided to spend the night in the temple premises.
Subsequently, Pranita and her father slept in a spot under a tree near the old temple while the rest of the family slept at a distance.
During the early hours on the following day, Armed Reserve head constable Shekar, who was on patrol duty, ran over Pranita with his vehicle (TS 09PA 5508). Two other policemen were present in the vehicle when the incident took place.
The girl suffered severe injuries to her head and stomach.
She was first rushed to a nearby private hospital and then to Kamineni hospital, where she was put on ventilator support. Pranita succumbed to her injuries around 5.45 am on Sunday.
Yadadri inspector A. Narasimha Rao said, “The victim was in critical care for four days before she succumbed. The case booked against Shekar under Section 338 of the IPC has been altered to section 304 A for the probe.”
Following her death, Pranita’s body was sent in for an autopsy and then handed over to her father.
The Rachakonda police said Pranita’s mother had passed away about five months ago, that she has an elder sister in primary school. Her father is a labourer.
“First I lost my wife, and now I’ve lost our daughter. I saw the van run over my daughter. She was sleeping right beside me when it happened,” her father said to the media.
LB Nagar ACP K. Pruthvidhar Rao said, “Pranita passed away early in the morning today. Rachakonda commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat has informed her family that the police will readily extend its support to them as required and that her sister’s education will be taken care of. The driver has been arrested.”
