Spat over water, helmet attack: 36-yr-old businessman beaten to death by delivery agents in Delhi's Connaught Place

A36-year-old adult male has died after he suffered serious injuries in a late-night wrangle nigh the Rajiv Chowk underground send in Delhi's Connaught Place, officials said on Tuesday. Two men have been taken into custody, with further probe underway to determine the roles of those involved, news agency PTI cited officials as saying.The victim, identified as Shivam Gupta, was on an outing on January 2 when he got involved in a verbal spat with food delivery agents, following which he was allegedly punched, kicked and beaten repeatedly on the head with a helmet, news agency PTI reported.Shivam, a businessman and a resident of east Delhi's Laxmi Nagar, had gone to Connaught Place with a friend to attend a party that day. When he stepped out of the restaurant, he asked a delivery agent near the E block for some water, which led to a verbal spat between the two, police officials said.Also Read | 4 minors held for stabbing 16-year-old in west DelhiFollowing the argument, the delivery agent hit Shivam with a helmet. Two of the accused's associates, also working as delivery agents, punched and kicked Shivam, the police sources added.A PCR call regarding the injured man lying unconscious on the road bleeding was made at around 1.30 am on January 3. Shivam was rushed to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, where doctors found multiple blood clots (hematomas) and declared him unfit to give a statement, according to PTI.Meanwhile, cops inspected the site of the incident, conducting videography and photography, and also seized blood-stained material, which was sent for forensic examination. CCTV camera footage from the nearby control room was also checked.‘Kept calling him, got no answer,’ says father of deceasedShivam's father Anil Kant Gupta said that when his son did not return after the party, his family had constantly tried to contact him. “I kept calling him, but there was no answer. After some time, I got a call from the police saying that my son was admitted to the hospital,” the father told PTI. His father said that when his family reached the hospital, Shivam's condition was “alarming”, adding that he was “vomiting blood and not responding.” “We requested the doctors to refer him to another hospital for better treatment,” he said, adding that medical teams later advised an immediate transfer for specialised care.Following this, Shivam was shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on January 4, and underwent surgery the next day, PTI reported. “After the procedure, we were informed that the next 36 to 72 hours would be crucial for recovery,” his father said, adding that Shivam has shown signs of improvement “for a while.”“We had hope…But, he left us on January 19,” the father said.