E-Paper
Truck mows down cop after ramming barricades, van on Faridabad-Gurgaon road
The truck also rammed a loaded pickup van parked on the roadside—tossing it several feet in the air—and the barricades, whose mangled metal parts ruptured the truck’s diesel tank.
A Gurugram police constable was mowed down by a speeding 18-wheel truck in a bid to avoid vehicle inspection at Gwal Pahadi post on the Gurugram-Faridabad road on Thursday, police said. They added that the truck driver, identified as Shakti Lal, 24, who hailed from Rajasthan’s Sikar, was arrested 18 hours after the incident.
The deceased was identified as 32-year-old Ajay Singh from Rewari. He had joined the Haryana Police in 2019, and was stationed at the Gwal Pahadi post. Singh had got married just seven months ago, and was the family’s only provider.
The truck, which was carrying gravel, also rammed a loaded pickup van parked on the roadside—tossing it several feet in the air—and the barricades, whose mangled metal parts ruptured the truck’s diesel tank and also punctured its front tyre, forcing it to stop 200 metres ahead of the accident spot. Singh was standing right next to the van at the time, investigators said.
The incident took place at 2.40am right in front of the post where a five-membered police team was engaged in routine vehicle checking.
One of Singh’s colleagues said the truck was enroute from Gurugram to Faridabad. “The truck showed no sign of stopping or slowing down despite the checkpoint being visible from afar on that straight stretch. It veered off course, and rammed the van and the barricades.”
He added: “The impact left the van in a mangled condition. Everything unfolded within a blink of an eye. It didn’t even give Singh a chance to move away and save himself. He was run over and died on the spot. Even the van fell on Singh after it landed on the road,” he said.
Investigators said the pickup van driver and the other member of the police team managed to escape unhurt.
Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said the truck driver tried to flee but the ruptured fuel tank and blown-up front tyre made it impossible for the vehicle to move. He then abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, Turan said.
“Singh’s colleagues rushed him to a civil hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” Turan said.
He added that based on the complaint of head constable Rohit Kumar, the checkpost in-charge, an FIR was registered against the truck driver under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to death), 221 (obstructing public servant from discharge of his duty), 281 (rash driving or riding on public way) and 324(4) (mischief causing damage to the amount of ₹20000 and more but less than ₹1 lakh) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 3 (mischief causing damage to public property) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act at DLF Phase-I police station.
“Singh, who died on the line of duty, was cremated with state honour. Several senior officials, including Gurugram police commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora, paid their tributes,” Turan added.
