The Dehradun Police have filed two separate first information reports (FIRs) after four people, including three members of a family, were killed when a container truck overturned onto their Hyundai i20 car at Mohabbewala Chowk on the Delhi-Dehradun highway on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Vishwesh Kapoor and his wife Misha Anand Kapoor ( both 38), along with his 63-year-old mother Kiran Kapoor and driver Neeraj Kumar.
The cops rescued a six-year-old child travelling in the car unharmed. The occupants of the car were travelling from Saharanpur to Dehradun.
While one of the FIRs is against an unidentified truck driver, the other one implicates unnamed officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Public Works Department (PWD).
FIR on NHAI and PWD officials
An FIR was registered against officials of the NHAI and PWD late Wednesday evening based on a complaint lodged by sub-inspector Jaiveer Singh.
The case was registered under Sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 125(a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 125(b) (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety), and 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“The newly constructed national highway, operated and built by executing agencies NHAI and PWD, lacks essential safety infrastructure, including signboards, traffic signals, reflectors, warning signals, and adequate nighttime lighting for smooth movement. The route has not been clearly marked, and potholes along the stretch are causing continuous accidents,” the cop said in the complaint.
{{/usCountry}}“The newly constructed national highway, operated and built by executing agencies NHAI and PWD, lacks essential safety infrastructure, including signboards, traffic signals, reflectors, warning signals, and adequate nighttime lighting for smooth movement. The route has not been clearly marked, and potholes along the stretch are causing continuous accidents,” the cop said in the complaint.
{{/usCountry}}“Due to a sudden sharp turn and slope at Mohabbewala, commuters frequently get confused, leading to a rise in road accidents... This sheer negligence by the executing agencies has sparked widespread public anger. Despite multiple contacts, notices, and correspondence urging them to implement proper safety measures and maintain the road, no concrete action has been taken to date. The unsafe construction work continues to put the lives of ordinary citizens at grave risk,” the complaint added.
“There is a steep slope on that specific stretch of the highway where at least four accidents have taken place over the last two months, claiming two lives. Drivers of heavy vehicles often get the impression that their brakes have failed on this slope and, while attempting to take evasive action, end up crashing. Even in Wednesday's accident, a preliminary investigation revealed that it was not a case of brake failure,” said Inspector Naresh Rathore, Station House Officer (SHO) of Patel Nagar police station.
FIR against truck driver
The FIR against the truck driver was registered on the complaint of Deepesh Kapoor, a resident of Vasant Vihar in Dehradun and a family member of the deceased.
The case was filed under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 281 (rash and negligent driving) and 324 (5) (mischief and causing loss or damage of ₹1 lakh or more) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the early hours of Thursday.
“My mother Kiran Kapoor, elder brother Vishwesh Kapoor, sister-in-law Misha Anand, and driver Neeraj Kumar were travelling from Saharanpur to our residence in Dehradun in their car (UK 07 FR 6780). At around 3:30 PM in the Mohbbewala area of Dehradun, a recklessly driven truck (NL 01 AA 2485) speeding down the road rammed into their car. My family members, along with the driver, died on the spot, and the vehicle was completely mangled,” the complainant said.
According to a release by the Dehradun police, the Patel Nagar police received information around 3.30 pm on Thursday that a container truck had overturned onto a car.
"Police personnel, along with a fire brigade team equipped with disaster management equipment, rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. Four occupants of the car sustained critical injuries and were immediately taken to Coronation Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead," it said, adding that the police managed to rescue the six-year-old child unharmed.
Rathore said, "We have registered the FIRs and launched an investigation into the matter. We are searching for the truck driver who fled the scene after the incident," he said.