Man killed as drunk friend rams Thar into road divider in Chandigarh

The Thar driver had spent the night drinking at a club with two friends before heading out around 3 am; vehicle was being driven at 120 km per hour when the accident took place, say Chandigarh Police

A night out turned into tragedy for three friends after their speeding Mahindra Thar rammed into the road divider, killing one of them, near the Housing Board light point in Manimajra around 3 am on Thursday.

The driver of the Mahindra Thar was arrested. He escaped with injuries, while his 25-year-old friend, a father of two, was flung out of the car, leading to fatal injuries. (HT Photo)

The trio was drunk and their car was moving at a speed of 120 km per hour when it rammed into the divider after hitting a street light and spinning out of control, said police.

The deceased was identified as Sumit, 25, a native of Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. A businessman, he was living in a rented accommodation in Sector 21, Panchkula. He leaves behind his wife and two children.

His two friends, identified as Mandip, 35, of Mohali, and Aditya Sharma, 31, of UP, were also injured in the mishap. Mandip is a business partner of the deceased and runs a factory in Panchkula, said police.

Police said the trio had spent the night drinking at a night club in Chandigarh and were headed towards Panchkula in a Mahindra Thar in the wee hours of Thursday.

“While Mandeep was behind the wheel, Sumit was sitting next to him and Aditya was in the rear seat. As their car crashed, Mandip managed to hold steady by grabbing the steering wheel and Aditya also held on to the seats, but Sumit was flung out of the car, causing severe head injuries,” said a senior police official.

The impact of the collision caused one wheel to get dislodged and roll to the other side of the road, while another tyre burst.

Noticing the crash, passers-by informed the police, following which a PCR team and Mauli Jagran station house officer (SHO) Jaiveer Singh Rana, who was on night patrolling duty, reached the spot.

The trio was rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, where Sumit succumbed to his injuries. Police said both Mandip and Aditya were out of danger.

“Mandip was going to drop me off at a hotel in Panchkula and Sumit at his house. While driving, Mandip lost control of the car and rammed it into the divider,” Aditya told police.

Inspector Rana said Mandip was arrested and later released on bail. He has been booked under Sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code at the Manimajra police station.