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Samana crash: Driver of truck that killed 5 school kids arrested
Patiala police arrest driver of truck that killed six, including five school kids; minister directs administration to take action speeding tippers
Police on Thursday arrested the driver of a tipper truck that rammed into a Toyota Innova, killing six occupants of the car — the driver and five schoolchildren — on the Patiala-Samana road.
The driver, Bhupinder Singh, along with the truck’s owners, Randhir Singh and Davinder Singh, were booked under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The truck owners are, however, yet to be taken into custody.
Police sources shared that the fitness certificate, pollution certificate and insurance of the truck had expired. Besides, the truck owners had not paid any road tax.
Five schoolchildren and the driver of their car, which ferried them daily to school, were killed when the tipper had collided with the vehicle head-on.
A pall of grief descended on Samana city as the five children were cremated at the local cremation ground. Locals raised slogans against the state government, condemning its failure to regulate speeding by trucks.
Patiala MP Dr Dharmavira Gandhi, who attended the cremation, expressed deep condolences to the grieving families. Calling the loss “unbearable”, he assured to take up the matter with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and demand the widening of the Patiala-Samana Road to prevent such accidents in future.
Govt enforces measures for road safety
Punjab health minister and Patiala Rural MLA Dr Balbir Singh convened an emergency meeting with senior district officials, including deputy commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav and SP Vaibhav Chaudhary, on Thursday.
A two-minute silence was observed in the memory of the deceased.
Dr Singh announced strict directives to curb reckless driving, particularly by tippers and school buses.
“All tippers must adhere to a maximum speed limit of 60 km/h and speed governors must be installed. Their movement during daytime will be completely barred,” he said, adding that school buses must fully comply with the Safe School Vehicle Policy.
He also ordered stringent fitness checks, dope tests and eye exams for all drivers of tippers, trucks and school buses. “There will be a zero tolerance towards violations, and any government official found negligent will face strict action,” he stated.
The government’s swift response, however, has done little to quell public’s anger over repeated accidents involving heavy vehicles. Mourning the devastating loss of young lives, Samana observed a complete bandh on Thursday, demanding accountability and lasting road safety reforms.
