Armyman drowns, friend feared dead after car falls into canal in Patiala

Three occupants of the vehicle, all armymen and friends who were posted in J&K, were on a one-month leave

An armyman drowned while his friend, also an army jawan, was feared dead when the car they were travelling in plunged into the Bhakra canal near Ablowal village in Patiala district on Tuesday afternoon.

The car being pulled out of the Bhakra canal near Ablowal village in Patiala district on Tuesday.

The deceased was identified as Jagmeet Singh (27), a resident of Nadampur village in Sangrur district, who was in the car with his friends and colleagues Kamaljit Singh (28), who is missing, and Manpreet Singh (28) of Patiala district.

The three, posted in Jammu and Kashmir, were on one-month sanctioned leave. They were reportedly having a get-together in Patiala.

Civil Lines police station in-charge Gurpreet Singh Bhinder said Kamaljit who was sitting in the rear seat managed to come out of the car and swam to safety.

A team of divers was immediately rushed to the spot to rescue the victims, the station house officer (SHO) said. “Jagmeet’s body was pulled out of the canal along with the car and the search is on to find Manpreet,” he added.

Kamaljit told the police that they were driving along the canal when they lost the balance near Babu Singh Colony near Ablowal village.