A 13-year-old boy and his 10-year-old brother were mowed down by a speeding truck while they were on their way to buy notebooks on a bicycle on the Ludhiana-Delhi highway near Jugiana village in Sahnewal on Friday morning
The truck driver, Ranjit Singh, 40, of Kapurthala, tried to flee from the spot, but was nabbed after a chase by onlookers. He was handed over to the Sahnewal police.
Police said the deceased, Neeraj, 13, and Ashu, 10, were residents of Bihari Colony, Jugiana, Sahnewal.
Neeraj was riding the bicycle, while Ashu was sitting behind him.
Their father, Sanjay Kumar, said around 7am on Friday, his sons left the house on their bicycle to buy notebooks before their online classes for the day. As they got on the service lane of the main highway, a speeding truck crushed them to death. Locals rushed to his house to inform him about the accident.
{{/usCountry}}Their father, Sanjay Kumar, said around 7am on Friday, his sons left the house on their bicycle to buy notebooks before their online classes for the day. As they got on the service lane of the main highway, a speeding truck crushed them to death. Locals rushed to his house to inform him about the accident.
{{/usCountry}}Inspector Inderjit Singh, SHO, Sahnewal police station, said the truck driver claimed that he could not notice the children on the bicycle in the service lane.
He has been booked under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.
SURVIVED BY PARENTS, THREE SISTERS
Sanjay Kumar, the father of the children, is a labourer. Hailing from Bhagalpur, Bihar, Kumar said besides Neeraj and Ashu, he and his wife had three daughters, who were older than their sons.
The distraught father said he had been toiling to provide his children education to help them stand on their feet. As their schools were closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, he had arranged mobile phones for them so they could attend online classes.
“I woke up early everyday to ready my kids for their online classes. I should not have sent them to the market. I should have bought the notebooks myself,” he rued.