Eight workers, including six women, were killed and 12 others sustained injuries after a car ran them over on a stretch of the Lehragaga-Jakhal road here on Sunday, with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann announcing ₹2-lakh compensation for the families of each deceased.
The car driver, identified as Pargat Singh of Raidharana village, has been arrested, said superintendent of police Palwinder Singh Cheema.
The incident took place near Alisher village, where a group of more than 20 workers enrolled under Viksit Bharat Guarantee Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (earlier called MGNREGA) were engaged in work. Some of them were sitting along the road and drinking water when a speeding car mowed them down, police said.
Sangrur deputy commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said of the eight dead, six were women. “The injured were undergoing treatment at nearby hospital. The administration is committed to providing medical aid and extending every possible support to the victims and their families,” she said.
Allegations of delay in ambulance arrival
There were allegations regarding inordinate delay in arrival of ambulances, with a local claiming that, despite repeated calls, emergency services reached the scene about an hour after the accident. Harvinder Singh, who works in a nearby factory, said the ambulance arrived an hour after the accident. He said upon reaching the site, he saw that a car had mowed down several workers, mostly women. He said at least five bodies were lying motionless along the road, while the accused driver was still present at the scene, and only fled after he saw police arriving.
{{/usCountry}}There were allegations regarding inordinate delay in arrival of ambulances, with a local claiming that, despite repeated calls, emergency services reached the scene about an hour after the accident. Harvinder Singh, who works in a nearby factory, said the ambulance arrived an hour after the accident. He said upon reaching the site, he saw that a car had mowed down several workers, mostly women. He said at least five bodies were lying motionless along the road, while the accused driver was still present at the scene, and only fled after he saw police arriving.
{{/usCountry}}“The workers died due to lack of timely medical assistance,” he alleged, saying all of them hail from poor families and were engaged as labourers.
Amritpal Singh, a panchayat member from Alisher village, said several victims were rushed to hospital in canters owing to inordinate delay in the arrival of ambulances, despite numerous requests. “It is the fault of the administration that the ambulances failed to reach on time,” he alleged. Family members of the victims who reached the accident spot could be seen crying on the roadside.
The villager said a motorcycle rider, who had apparently come to pick up his mother, also died in the incident.
“We have seized the car (Chevrolet Magnum) and forensic investigation is underway. The bodies have been shifted to the mortuary, and an FIR will be registered once the victims give their statements, as they are currently in shock,” SP Cheema said.
Expressed grief over the incident, Mann wrote on X: “The news of the horrific road accident that took place in Alisher village of Sangrur is extremely sad… The Punjab government stands with the affected families in this difficult hour... The government will provide compensation of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased, and free treatment to the injured.”
Defence minister Rajnath Singh also condoled the loss of lives in the accident. “The death of several workers in a road accident in Punjab’s Sangrur is extremely unfortunate and heart-wrenching…In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured,” he posted on X.
Punjab cabinet minister and local MLA Barinder Kumar Goyal assured all possible help from the government for the victims.
Leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said: “The tragic loss of eight MGNREGA workers in Lehra after being struck by a speeding vehicle is deeply distressing. My heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones.”