The Scorpio damaged in the accident in which Chirag Nain (inset left) and Kamaldeep Singh were killed. ht phot
HT Correspondent
letterschd@hindustantimes.com
SANGRUR : Two Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed and two men, including a jawan, sustained injuries after their SUV collided with a truck coming from the opposite side on Sunam-Patiala road on Tuesday night.
The incident took place at around 12.30am near Sanjuma village at the foundation point of a toll plaza.
The deceased have been identified as Kamaldeep Singh, 30, of Mard Khera village, and Chirag Nain, 22, of Narwana in Haryana. The injured, Lovepreet Singh and Pardeep Singh, were rushed to Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.
Pardeep has been referred to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
Police said Kamaldeep, Chirag and Pardeep, all leading aircraftmen, were posted at Barmer in Rajasthan and were here on leave.
“Kamaldeep, his cousin Lovepreet and the other two was going to Bhawanigarh town from Mard Khera village after a friend of theirs got into an accident. But their Scorpio collided with a truck coming from the opposite side near the toll plaza foundation,” said sub-inspector (SI) Harinder Singh, in-charge of the Mehlan police post.
Police have registered a case against the unidentified truck driver, who is absconding, under Sections 279 (rash driving), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on Wednesday.
“The driver is absconding but raids are being conducted to arrest him,” the SI said.
LOCALS PROTEST, SEEK REMOVAL OF TOLL FOUNDATION
Upset over the incident, hundreds of farmer, youth and labour union members held a protest against the state government on Sunam-Patiala road.
The protesters said that the unfinished work has resulted in narrowing of the road, thus leading to multiple fatal accidents in the past.
They demanded removal of the toll plaza foundation from the said location, murder charges against the plaza company concerned, and adequate compensation to families of the victims.
“Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla and Congress’s Kewal Singh Dhillon had promised removal of the toll plaza foundation from here as it is causing in multiple accidents, but no action has been taken so far. We demand murder charges against the company,” said Harjit Singh, convener of the Toll Plaza Virodhi Action Committee.
