E-Paper
Ex-Haryana MLA’s car hits woman, chased down by Mohali police
Former Haryana MLA Naresh Yadav and his driver tried to speed off after hitting the woman’s scooter on Landran Road in Mohali, but were intercepted by police after a 2-km chase
Former Haryana MLA Naresh Yadav’s SUV hit the scooter of a 42-year-old woman on Landran Road on Saturday, leaving her severely injured.
After hitting the scooter, Yadav’s driver drove off, but their Toyota Fortuner was chased down by the Mohali police two kilometres from the accident spot.
According to police, Yadav, a former MLA from Haryana’s Ateli constituency, was travelling from Gurgaon to Chandigarh to meet his children at Panjab University. His gunman and driver, Kuldeep, 27, were accompanying him.
On the way, the driver hit the Honda Activa of Sarabjit Kaur, 42, a resident of Rupalheri village, throwing her on the road and causing multiple injuries. But instead of stopping and helping her, the leader and his driver fled from the spot.
Onlookers rushed the woman to the hospital and sounded the police about the offending car.
“While they were trying to flee, one of the SUV’s tyres burst, forcing the driver to slow down. A police team, that was already on their trail after being alerted, cut them off two kilometres from the accident spot,” said investigating police officer Sarabjit Singh.
“The former MLA appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, while Kuldeep had been driving continuously for over 12 hours without catching any sleep on Friday night. He was tired and sleepy when the SUV hit the woman’s scooter,” said Sohana SHO inspector Gurjeet Singh.
He added that Kuldeep was detained and taken for a medical test. “His blood samples have been collected to ascertain whether he was driving under the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, the gunman fled from the spot after leaving his gun in the car,” the SHO said.
He added that police had impounded the SUV and summoned Kuldeep to the police station on Sunday morning for further investigation.
No FIR was lodged against the SUV driver till the filing of the report. “Since the woman did not sustain any major injuries, the leader and her family reached a compromise. No formal complaint was given to the police, so no FIR was lodged,” the SHO said.
Meanwhile, though Yadav didn’t stop at the accident spot or take the injured woman to the hospital, his children, after learning of the mishap, rushed to hospital to enquire about the woman’s health.
Sarabjit, who is recuperating at the Sohana hospital, said she suffered injuries on the forehead, arms and legs after the SUV hit her. “The leader’s family members visited me at the hospital and gave me money for treatment,” she added.
Despite repeated attempts for his comment, the former MLA didn’t respond.
