Rajasthan’s Barmer collector, SP injured in road accident

It was a close shave for Barmer district collector Shivprasad Madan Nakate and superintendent of police Gagandeep Singhla who met with an accident while returning to Barmer from Pachpadra.

It was a close shave for Barmer district collector Shivprasad Madan Nakate and superintendent of police Gagandeep Singhla who met with an accident while returning to Barmer from Pachpadra. A drunk driver rammed his car into their vehicle, a senior police officer said on Thursday.

The vehicle in which the two officials were travelling that met with an accident. (HT Photo.)

The incident took place late on Wednesday night around 11.30 pm near Dudhwa village under Baitu police station area in Barmer. Both were travelling in the same car.

Nakate and Singhla had visited Pachpadra on Wednesday to monitor the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the town on January 14 to inaugurate a refinery. On Thursday, chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan will take stock of the preparations.

According to information, a speeding SUV, driven by Haneef Khan, who was drunk at the time of the accident, hit the car. The impact was such that the collector’s car somersaulted and fell into a 15-feet deep trench.

The collision was so severe that the collector and SP had to be brought out of their car after breaking the door. Four people were taken out of the vehicle after it was cut open from different sides, the police said.

Security personnel escorting them in another car later took them to the nearest hospital in Baitu. The collector’s driver, who was seriously injured, was referred to Jodhpur while the collector and SP were taken to a government hospital in Barmer.

Doctors at the Barmer hospital suggested a CT scan for both and said that Nakate suffered a fracture in his shoulder while the SP suffered injuries on his face.

Apart from various government officials and public representative, SP Gagandeep Singhla’s wife, legislature Kamini Jindal and the collector’s wife soon reached the Barmer hospital.

Haneef Khan is also undergoing treatment, the official added.

With inputs from agencies