Girl killed, her sister, friend injured after ‘drunk’ govt official runs car over them in Uttarakhand's Nainital

A police officer said that a medical examination confirmed that accused Bhupendra Singh was drunk at the time of the accident.

A 14-year-old girl died and her sister (17) and their friend (15) were injured when a government official, allegedly driving under influence of alcohol, ran his car over them in Uttarakhand's Nainital district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Monday. The girls were retuning from a fair. (Representational Image)

“The accused, Bhupendra Singh, Assistant Block Development Officer of Kotabagh, was apprehended while attempting to flee,” news agency PTI quoted as saying Ramesh Chandra Pant, the police outpost in-charge of Nainital's Kotabagh block, where the accident took place on Monday night.

Pant added that a medical examination performed on Bhupendra Singh confirmed that the latter was drunk driving.

The incident occurred when the girls were retuning from a fair.

The three were initially rushed to the Community Health Centre, Kotabagh, and later referred to a higher facility, where doctors declared the 14-year-old dead, the police outpost in-charge noted.

The victim's sister and friend suffered grievous injuries and are undergoing treatment at Sai Hospital in Haldwani, he added.

Legal punishment for drunk driving in India

Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, deals with the crime of drunk driving. Under it, a convicted person may be imprisoned for up to six months or asked to pay ₹10,000 fine or both.

What constitutes drunk driving?

Under Section 185(a) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, if the level of alcohol exceeds 30 mg. per 100 ml of a driver's blood, it will be considered as an offence.

Additionally, a person found incapable of controlling the vehicle while under the influence of drugs, is also considered as an offence.