Two cops run over on e-way, DSP critical

GREATER NOIDA: Two policemen died and five others, including a deputy superintendent of police, were critically injured, when a youth in a speeding Maruti Swift ran over them on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway late on Wednesday night. The youth, too, died in the accident. The cops were diverting traffic after an earlier accident, in which a dumper loaded with sand had overturned in the middle of the expressway in the Surajpur police station area (as briefly reported on Thursday).
While the cops were overseeing the clean-up of the expressway, the Swift, driven by 23-year-old Yash Varshney, rammed into them, and then careened and crashed into the crane being used to remove the dumper.
"The dumper overturned around 10 pm, while bringing sand from Greater Noida to Noida. Soon after, traffic cops reached the scene with the crane to clear up. At 10.30 pm, DSP Harendra Singh, who was driving by, stopped to help in the effort, along with his bodyguards. Traffic was allowed to move from the left of the dumper. Just then, the speeding Swift, approaching from Greater Noida, hit Harendra, and two other cops, Balraj and Mohan. It was 10.40 pm. It then rammed into the crane," said Gautam Budh Nagar senior superintendent of police, Preetinder Singh.
He added that the injured were rushed to a private hospital on the Expressway, where constable Mohan, traffic cop Balraj and the car driver Varshney were declared brought dead.
Among Harendra's staff who survived, a gunner, Ramit, reacted quickly. Without waiting for the ambulance, he hauled up a vehicle and carried the victims to the hospital. Doctors said this may have helped save the lives of Varshney's co-occupants Yash Agrawal, Robin Verma, Prem Verma and Shubham Rathi - all students in their early 20s and originally from Aligarh.
DSP Harendra Singh sustained severe head injuries. According to doctors, Harendra's condition is critical.
"Neurosurgeons conducted a three-hour operation on him, from 2 am to 5 am. He is still on ventilator support and under observation of senior doctors," said a hospital spokesperson. Harendra Singh also sustained multiple fractures. Among the others injured, Robin Verma was discharged on Thursday, while Prem Verma and Shubham Rathi are under observation.
One of Varshney's neighbours, who had arrived on hearing of the crash, said Varshney's father had a heart attack last month. After that Varshney was looking after the family's soap business.
Varshney's uncle said his nephew had left home in Aligarh for Delhi on Wednesday night around 8 pm, as "they planned to watch the IPL cricket match at Ferozeshah Kotla on Thursday, and were scheduled to stay over at my place. I received a call from the UP police soon after the accident and reached the hospital. But by then, Yash had passed away."
On Thursday afternoon, Varshney's body was handed over to his family after an autopsy.