Three members of a family were killed and three children were seriously injured when their car was hit head-on by a vehicle coming from the wrong direction near Bidhipur village on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway on Sunday evening, police said.
The collision occurred outside the regional headquarters of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). A Maruti Swift carrying the victims was hit by a Toyota Innova driving on the wrong side of the road.
The deceased were identified as Surendra Shukla, 29, his wife Priyanka Tiwari, 27, and Surendra’s mother, Jamwanti, 65, all residents of Bilaspur village in Ludhiana district. Surendra’s three daughters—aged 13, 8, and 1—are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Jalandhar. The two elder daughters suffered fractures to both their legs.
Assistant sub-inspector Pappu Gill, the investigating officer, said Surendra was driving his Swift (PB 10EP 0569) toward Beas when the Innova (PB 08CH 6366) rammed into it.
“The Innova driver was coming from the wrong side. The impact of the collision completely wrecked the victims’ car, leading to the three casualties,” Gill said, adding that the driver fled immediately after the crash.
Teams from the Punjab Police’s Sadak Suraksha Force (Road Safety Force) carried out the rescue operation. While Surendra’s wife died on the spot, he and his mother succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital.
{{/usCountry}}Teams from the Punjab Police’s Sadak Suraksha Force (Road Safety Force) carried out the rescue operation. While Surendra’s wife died on the spot, he and his mother succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital.
{{/usCountry}}Maya Shukla, Surendra’s sister, said the family has been devastated by the tragedy. “Surendra was the family’s sole breadwinner, and the entire family is now left destitute,” she said.
Police later identified the Innova driver as Mukesh Chopra, a resident of Jalandhar. A case has been registered against him under Sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 281 (rash driving), and 125-A (endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).