Ghaziabad: ‘Ragini’ writer dies in car accident

Harbir Singh, his cousin Satpal Dausa and Satpal’s son Nirdesh were in a Hyundai Santro and were returning from Haryana when their car was hit by a speeding Indigo car bearing Uttarakhand registration number.

Harbir Singh, a 62-year-old famous ‘Ragini’ writer, died in an accident after two speeding cars had a head on collision at Raj Nagar Extension crossing (on erstwhile NH-58) on late Sunday night. The victim was returning after performing a ‘Ragini’ programme in Haryana and also after recording at a television studio before the Independence Day.

The incident took place at Raj Nagar Extension. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to police, Harbir Singh, his cousin Satpal Dausa and Satpal’s son Nirdesh were in a Hyundai Santro and were returning from Haryana when their car was hit by a speeding Indigo car bearing Uttarakhand registration number. Harbir died in the accident while Satpal and Nirdesh were injured.

Satpal is a famous ‘Ragini’ singer and well known in rural areas of UP, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. The ‘Ragini’ is a typical folk song art of storytelling.

“The victims were heading straight to Modi Nagar while the other car was heading from Meerut side towards Ghaziabad. This car suddenly took a turn towards Raj Nagar Extension and almost hit the victim’s car head on. Nirdesh was driving the car while victim Harbir was sitting next to him. Satpal, 60, was on the rear seat,” said AK Maurya, superintendent of police (rural).

Officials said both the cars were in high speed when the incident took place and Harbir succumbed due to fatal injuries suffered as a result.

“Harbir was not wearing seat belt and was in sleep when the accident took place. He suffered severe injuries to his chest as the car’s dashboard hit his chest. He was rushed to hospital but he succumbed. Satpal also suffered internal injuries as a result of the impact but stated out of danger. Nirdesh suffered injuries to his leg and survived. They both are admitted to a private hospital in Modi Nagar,” said Raja Ram Pradhan, Satpal’s cousin.

Satpal is from Dausa Banjarpur in Modi Nagar while his distant cousin Harbir is from Chudiyala in Bhojpur. The police said they arrested the Indigo car driver while other persons in the vehicle fled from the spot.

“Both Harbir and Satpal had a good bonding. Harbir wrote ‘Ragini’ scripts while Satpal sang his scripts to perfection. They were into ‘Ragini’ singing since their school days. However, we have lodged an FIR into the incident. Both cars were in high speed as there was hardly any traffic. The other persons in the Indigo car were from Bijnor and absconding,” Pradhan added.