3 dead, 18 injured as truck hits CRPF bus

NEW DELHI: Two days after a Gurgaon doctor and his three-year-old daughter were crushed to death, speeding trucks continued to claim lives in NCR. Three CRPF women personnel died inside a bus after a truck smashed into it at a crossing in Dwarka, southwest Delhi, on Wednesday. The horrific early morning collision left 18 others injured, including five whose condition is critical.
The CRPF bus, carrying 25-30 personnel, was on its way to the 88 battalion headquarters for deployment drill. As it was turning right at the Sector 16 B crossing, a truck hurtling down from Najafgarh side crashed into it, throwing the vehicle halfway across the road. The accident took place at 6.20am, when traffic signals were on blinker mode.
Head constables Seema (38) and Saroj (40), and ASI Ram Kala (45) died on the spot. Three other women personnel are on life support while two others are also said to be critical, police said.
The driver of the double axle truck (number plate RJ 32 GB 1505) that collided with a CRPF bus on Wednesday morning was miraculously unhurt and fled the scene. Additional DCP (south west) Dinesh Gupta said police had contacted the truck owner — identified as Puran Maal, who owns a business in Jaipur — and were trying to identify the driver. A case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving (sections 304A and 279 of IPC) has been registered against him.
“Within moments (of the collision), I saw the bus crumple like a tin can. It was hurled towards the side of the road. There was little time for the occupants to even react,” said Anil Sharma, who owns a tea shop nearby. Locals said both drivers did not notice each other at the crossing.
A team of officials from the Dwarka (north) police station and fire service rushed to the spot and rescued occupants from the mangled bus. They were taken to three private hospitals in the area. From there, the critical patients were shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre while the deceased were taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for postmortem.
The kin of Saroj and Ram Kala said both were widows and were bringing up their children on their own. Saroj’s son is still in school. Both worked in the tailoring department of the battalion. “She had even gone on a humanitarian mission to Sri Lanka and was working hard to bring up her son,” said Satvir Singh, Ram Kala’s brother.
According to officials at the Dwarka CRPF housing society, where most of the victims lived, the women in the bus were mainly posted at the headquarters on security duty and back office jobs, and had recently returned from poll duty in Chhattisgarh/ They were headed to the headquarters for further deployment orders.
“I got a call around 7am from one of my colleagues admitted at Rockland Hospital. She asked me to bring her son to the hospital. I never imagined that the accident was so severe,” said Sanjay, a CRPF officer living in Dwarka.
Relatives of the injured personnel added that they did not know where their dear ones were taken after the accident since they were unreachable on their mobile phones. “I do not know where my aunt is right now since there is no trace of her in the private hospitals,” said one of the relatives who did not want to be named.
Senior officials said they had contacted the Rajasthan police to help them nab the absconding truck driver.