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Punjab: 4 students of Patiala law university killed in road accident
Students were returning from party when their speeding SUV hit another before ramming into tree barely 50 metres from Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, at 2am; university officials say final exams got over on Friday.
Four students of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala, were killed when their speeding Ford Endeavour hit another SUV and rammed into a tree on the Bhadson road early on Saturday.
Police said the four students, all in their early twenties, were returning from a dinner party in Patiala city when the accident occurred barely 50 metres from the university on the Patiala-Bhadson road at 2 am.
The deceased were identified as Reet Kaur Virk, Ishan Sood, Ribhu Sehgal and Kushagra Yadav. While Reet is the daughter of Chandigarh-based Major RS Virk (retd), Ishan is the nephew of Chandigarh BJP leader and former mayor Arun Sood. Reet and Ishan Sood were fifth-year students while Ribhu Sehgal and Kushagra Yadav were third-year students.
The driver of the Ford Endeavour with the four victims lost control after hitting the other SUV, an Isuzu pickup, in which two students were travelling, said police. The four occupants of the Ford Endeavour died on the spot, while the Isuzu pickup overturned but the two students survived. The duo has been identified as Amandeep Kaur and Dikshant. While Kaur is under treatment at Government Rajindra Hospital, Dikshant has been shifted to a private hospital.
University officials said the last exam of the academic session of the final year students had concluded on Friday.
Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh visited the accident site. “It appears that overspeeding was one of the reasons for the tragic accident,” he said. Police said the bodies have been handed over to the family members.
Family members of Virk and Sood have donated their wards’ eyes, said Rajindra Hospital authorities. Dr Rajan Singla, director principal of Rajindra Hospital, said, “It is a good step. The donated eyes will give a gift of sight to the needy.”
