He screamed for help, but no one came forward even as his friend bled to death

Delhiites once again showed a bizarre display of apathy towards the victims of a crime. Bystanders acted like spectators and refused to help while a 27-year-old BTech graduate was being bludgeoned to death and his friend severely beaten.

Delhiites once again showed a bizarre display of apathy towards the victims of a crime. Bystanders acted like spectators and refused to help while a 27-year-old BTech graduate was being bludgeoned to death and his friend severely beaten.

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Shailaja Roy and his friend Sidhartha Roy, 27, were attacked by two youth over the serving of parantha at a roadside eatery in south Delhi's Govindpuri.

According to the victims' friends, the two were lying on the road in a pool of blood for more than half-an-hour, but nobody came forward to take them to the hospital.

Even the eatery owner and his helpers fled the spot after closing their shop.

"My friends were critically injured after being attacked by the assailants. While Shailaja was bleeding profusely and had lost consciousness, Sidhartha was screaming for help. He requested passers-by to take them to the hospital or inform the police, but no one helped," said a close friend of Sidhartha, who did not wish to be named.

He said that the two were taken to AIIMS Trauma centre at 5.15am, over an hour after they were attacked by the two assailants - Vijay and Chetan Bhagat - who were later arrested by the police.

"Doctors at the hospital told us that Shailaja's life could have been saved, had he been brought to the hospital on time," added Sidhartha's friend, who demanded that action be taken against the eatery owner too.

"Not only was the eatery owner running his shop illegally during the odd-time, but also ran away without informing the police about the matter," the friend said.

Alleging connivance of the beat staff with such road side eatery vendors, local residents said, "These roadside eateries run only during the night and a couple of them even allow people to consume liquor at their shop. Police take no action against them."