NEW DELHI: A 48-year-old man died following an alleged assault inside a Delhi Metro train over a seat reserved for senior citizens, prompting Delhi Metro Police to arrest a 65-year-old retired IAS officer and his 36-year-old son.The accused, Sanjay Pratap Singh and Sidharth Singh, both residents of Noida, have been remanded to 14-day judicial custody.A police officer said the incident took place on Oct 8 when the victim, Pawan Sharma, was travelling with his mother Durga Devi, 65, towards Yamuna Vihar. According to police, an argument broke out over the senior citizen seats after Singh and his son boarded the train at Mandi House. Sharma and his mother were seated on seats designated for senior citizens. “A dispute arose between Sharma and the father-son duo over the seat. The argument escalated into a physical altercation,” police said.When the train reached Supreme Court metro station, Sharma reportedly became unconscious. Information about an unconscious passenger on platform 1 was received at Supreme Court Metro police station around 5.47pm. By the time police reached LNJP Hospital, where Sharma had been taken with his mother, doctors had declared him brought dead,” a senior police officer said.Sharma had gone to Gurgaon with his mother to visit his brother and was returning home when the incident occurred. Sharma’s mother Durga claimed that when the metro reached the Supreme Court station, two men approached them. “They rudely asked us to vacate our seats. We got up, and my son then told them they could now lie down on the seats. The older man grabbed Pawan (Sharma) by the collar and slapped him. When he objected, the man’s son assaulted him. When I tried to intervene, the older man restrained my arm.”During the preliminary inquiry, police recorded the statement of Sharma’s mother. A case was registered based on her statement under Sections 105 and 3(5) of BNS, relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and acts committed with common intention.Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the altercation and the alleged involvement of the two accused. Both men were arrested based on evidence collected during the investigation, police said. The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
