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3 AAP leaders killed as car plunges into pond near Raikot, Ludhiana
According to information, the five men were headed back home in a Volkswagen Jetta after visiting Nakodar in Jalandhar late at night. Sandeep Singh, AAP’s Patiala deputy district president, was behind the wheel
Three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were killed after their car plunged into a pond near Bassian village on Ludhiana-Raikot road past Wednesday midnight.
Police said the accident appeared to have been triggered by a stray animal suddenly appearing in front of the victims’ car, causing it to hurtle off the road.
The deceased were identified as Sandeep Singh, Balkar Singh and Vishal Garg, all aged between 27 and 32.
Sandeep was a resident of Atala village in Patiala’s Patran, while Balkar hailed from Rongla village in Dirba, Sangrur, and Vishal from Dhaula Patti, Dirba. Two other car occupants, Bikramjit Singh of Burar village, Patiala, and Puneet Goyal of Patran, had a miraculous escape.
According to information, the five men were headed back home in a Volkswagen Jetta after visiting Nakodar in Jalandhar late at night. Sandeep Singh, AAP’s Patiala deputy district president, was behind the wheel.
Around 1 am, as the car reached a turn near Bassian village, Sandeep lost control of the car, possibly due to a stray animal, and the sedan plunged into a roadside pond.
Locals who spotted the accident rushed to the victims’ aid and alerted the police.
According to eyewitnesses, three of the car occupants were already dead when pulled out, while two occupants survived. They were initially rushed to Raikot civil hospital and later referred to Ludhiana for further treatment.
The bodies of the deceased were sent to Jagraon and Ludhiana civil hospitals for post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death.
Inspector Heera Singh, SHO at Sadar Raikot police station, said police were scanning CCTV cameras in the area to establish the exact reason behind the mishap. He added that the survivors were traumatised and not fit to record a statement.
Jagraon MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke met the families of the deceased and expressed condolences, stating that their deaths were an immense loss to the AAP.
