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Zirakpur man killed, 18 hurt after bus overturnes on Chandigarh-Patiala highway
Punjab Roadways driver arrested for ramming rashly driven bus into a parked truck; 33-yr-old victim survived by wife, 10-day-old child
A Zirakpur man was killed while 18 other passengers were injured when a speeding Punjab Roadways bus rammed into a parked truck and overturned on the Chandigarh-Patiala highway in Banur on Monday.
The bus had started from the Rupnagar depot and the accident took place near Jangpura village, 3km from Banur division, in Patiala around 10am. The impact of the crash was such that the rear end of the truck was ripped apart, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Navdeep Singh, 33. Navdeep was initially admitted to a private hospital in Patiala, from where he was referred to a private hospital in Mohali, where he succumbed to his injuries within a couple of hours.
A resident of Maya Garden in Zirakpur, he is survived by his mother, brother, wife, and a 10-day-old child. At present, his wife is at her parents’ home in Delhi. Navdeep had returned from Delhi on Sunday night after meeting his wife and the newborn. He used to work with a private firm in Ludhiana and was on his way there when the accident took place. The body will be handed over to his family on Tuesday after the postmortem, said police.
Rash driving
“The driver was driving rashly. He did not slow down even after repeated appeals of the passengers,” said Laid Ahmed, one of the injured.
While 16 of the 18 injured were admitted to private hospitals in Banur, two were taken to a private hospital in Patiala, said sub-inspector (SI) Surinder Pal of the Banur police station.
The SI said the Punjab Roadways driver, Jagwinder Singh, also sustained minor injuries in the accident. He belongs to Sant Kartar Singh Colony in Ropar. He has been arrested after being administered first aid.
A case under Sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life of others) and 427 (mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against him.
