Ludhiana | Fleeing jeep driver mows down scooterist, 2 hurt

Scooterist crushed by speeding jeep, fleeing from another mishap; kin seek compensation, block traffic for one-and-a-half hour

A man was crushed to death after a speeding Mahindra Thar jeep hit his scooter near Kochar Market on Saturday night. The victim’s wife, who was riding pillion, was grievously injured in the mishap.

At first, the accused, Palwinder Singh of Talwara village, who was coming from Pakhowal Road, rammed into a golgappa cart, and injured the vendor. As he tried to flee the spot, he hit the victims’ scooter. (HT Photo)

At first, the accused, Palwinder Singh of Talwara village, who was coming from Pakhowal Road, rammed into a golgappa cart, and injured the vendor. As he tried to flee the spot, he hit the victims’ scooter. The deceased, Harish Kumar ‘Happy’, 45, of Jawahar Nagar, a salesman, and his wife Sapna, 42, were thrown off their two-wheeler. The accused, who was speeding, ran over Harish, while Sapna suffered multiple injuries, including fractures.

While Harish was killed on the spot, onlookers rushed his wife to the hospital. Sub-inspector Neeraj Chaudhary, Division 5 station house officer, said, “A few eyewitnesses chased the accused, and caught him. They thrashed him, and vandalised his car before handing him over to the police.”

One of the men, who stopped the accused from escaping, alleged that Palwinder Singh was driving under the influence of drugs. However, the police are yet to confirm whether the accused was intoxicated at the time of the accidents.

A case of reckless driving and causing death due to negligence of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against him.

The victim is survived by his hospitalised wife, and two daughters aged 12 and six. His younger daughter is differently abled.

Kin take to the streets

Seeking compensation, the victim’s kin blocked traffic on Kochar Market Chowk for at least one-and-a-half hour on Sunday. The victim’s brother-in-law, Inderjeet, said Harish was the lone breadwinner of the family, and that doctors were not sure if his sister will be able to walk again. “We are worried about my nieces’ future,” he said, demanding that strict action be taken against the accused.

The victim’s 12-year-old daughter also joined the protest, and said she wanted to see the man who killed her father behind bars. Traffic on Pakhowal Road, Link Road and Ferozepur Road remained affected due to the protest. The blockade was lifted, after the police pacified the agitators.