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ITBP DIG, driver killed as SUV crashes into car in Saharanpur
According to police, the SUV suddenly went out of control, hit the central divider and was thrown into the opposite lane.
: An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) seputy inspector general (DIG) and his driver were killed, while four others, including the officer’s gunner and three occupants of another car, were injured after his SUV collided with a car on the Dehradun-Panchkula National Highway in Saharanpur on Saturday morning.
The deceased were identified as DIG Parminder Singh and his driver Ravi Shankar. Singh, originally from Ropar in Punjab, was posted in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He was returning from Mussoorie after completing a training programme and was travelling towards Ambala in his official Scorpio when the accident occurred around 9am near Jhabiran Cut under Sarsawa police station.
According to police, the SUV suddenly went out of control, hit the central divider and was thrown into the opposite lane. It then collided with a sedan coming from the opposite direction.
The impact was so severe that the front portion of the Swift was completely mangled, while the side of the SUV was badly damaged. All the occupants were trapped inside the vehicles. Local residents rushed to the spot after hearing the crash. Police teams reached the site, rescued the injured and shifted them to the Government Medical College at Pilkhani.
Doctors declared Singh and Shankar dead on arrival. The DIG’s gunner, Jayram, a resident of Patiala, sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the medical college. Three occupants of the Swift Gurunanak Singh, 49, Gurnam Singh, 55, and Devendra Kaur, 55 were also injured.
Police said Kaur’s condition was critical. All three are residents of Karnal in Haryana.
Saharanpur DM Arvind Chauhan said, “Parminder Singh was a native of Ropar and was presently posted in Srinagar. He had completed his training in Mussoorie and was travelling to Ambala when the accident occurred. The administration immediately arranged medical assistance for all the injured and we are monitoring their treatment.”
Chauhan said Singh is survived by his wife Sarabjit Kaur and two sons, aged 17 and 16, who are studying. The family was informed about the accident and officials were coordinating with them.
SP Traffic Shailendra Srivastava said, “The SUV first hit the divider and, after crossing over into the opposite carriageway, collided with the Swift. The impact was very heavy and all the occupants were trapped inside the vehicles. The injured were rescued with the help of police and local people and shifted to the medical college.”
The accident took place around 25km from the district headquarters. Police are examining the accident site and damaged vehicles to ascertain what caused the SUV to lose control. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination and further investigation is underway.
