The registrar of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology (GJU&ST), his two sisters and driver were killed when a gas tanker overturned on their car near Gaindawas village of Bhiwani district on Siwani-Hisar highway on Sunday evening.
The deceased have been identified as registrar Anil Kumar Pundir (54), his two sisters Sushila Devi and Usha Devi, and his driver Balbir Singh (55) of Talwandi Rana village. The family was travelling the official vehicle (HR 20 AL 0112) of registrar Pundir.
Five other people travelling in another car also received minor injuries as the tanker partially crushed their vehicle.
The police have registered a case under section 279 (rash driving on a public way) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) against the driver of gas container of Bharat Petroleum who fled from the spot leaving the vehicle behind.
As soon the news of the accident spread, police personnel led by DSP Siwani Jaipal Singh rushed to the spot and started investigation into the matter. The bodies were sent to Hisar general hospital for the postmortem.
The DSP said the accident happened 2-3 kilometres ahead of Siwani. “Eyewitnesses said one Sachin Kumar of Hisar applied brake after a vehicle in front of him lost balance. Pundir’s driver too had to bring the car to an abrupt halt to avoid a crash. The gas tanker that was behind Pundir’s car tried to stop the vehicle but it lost balance, hit the pavement and overturned on the two cars,” DSP Singh told mediapersons.
{{/usCountry}}The DSP said the accident happened 2-3 kilometres ahead of Siwani. “Eyewitnesses said one Sachin Kumar of Hisar applied brake after a vehicle in front of him lost balance. Pundir’s driver too had to bring the car to an abrupt halt to avoid a crash. The gas tanker that was behind Pundir’s car tried to stop the vehicle but it lost balance, hit the pavement and overturned on the two cars,” DSP Singh told mediapersons.
{{/usCountry}}He said some passersby rescued Sachin and others travelling with him out of the car. Pundir’s car was badly crushed as most part of it was under the tanker.
“The driver of the gas container managed to flee from the spot. We came to know that Pundir was returning from Salasar Balaji temple,” the DSP said. One of his sisters had come from abroad only a few days ago.
University spokesperson Bijender Singh Dahiya confirmed the news and said Pundir belonged to Yamunanagar and was also holding the charge of dean of colleges (DOC). Pundir started his career in 1987 by joining AS Jain College as a professor in Ambala. In 1996, he joined Mukand Lal National College, Yamunanagar, and joined as registrar of GJU&ST in 2016. He was a PhD in physics from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut.