Vadodara: 2 killed, four injured as PCR van rams into hut

While locals claimed that the driver was inebriated, police said a medical examination had ruled out the presence of alcohol in his blood samples. Express

Two labourers were killed and four injured when a PCR van, belonging to the Panigate police station in Vadodara, lost control and crashed into a settlement of huts. While locals claimed that the driver was inebriated, the police said a medical examination had ruled out the presence of alcohol in the blood samples.

According to the police, the PCR van was on night patrol in its jurisdiction under the Panigate police station when it came across a “suspicious motorcycle”. As the riders began speeding away, the PCR van chased the motorcycle into a settlement of labourers cooking their meals at the pavement near Tarsali bridge. It was then that the police jeep is said to have lost control. While one labourer died on the spot, his sister and four others were grievously injured and rushed to the SSG hospital for treatment. Jeevan Nath, the labourer’s sister, succumbed to injuries early Tuesday morning. Jeevan was visiting her brothers, Kishan and Chandu Nath, in their hutments near the Tarsali bridge for Raksha Bandhan when the incident occurred. Chandu said, “My sister was wearing the saree we had gifted her for Raksha Bandhan. I did not know that it would be the last time I would see my sister and elder brother. I want justice.”

Police Inspector A V Parmar of Makarpura said, “The police van of the Panigate police station was moving towards the Kapurai junction in its jurisdiction when it noticed a suspicious motorcycle. As the motorcycle began speeding away towards Tarsali, the driver, Raju Jesang, decided to chase the motorcycle. However, he lost control of the jeep near the service road under the Tarsali bridge and ran over the labourers, who were cooking outside their huts on the sidewalk. We have arrested the driver for rash and negligent driving as well as culpable homicide.”

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While eyewitnesses claimed that Jesang had a beer bottle on the passenger seat of the van and was inebriated, the police denied the claim.

Parmar said, “Locals said that they had found a beer bottle in the police van. We conducted a medical examination of the driver which showed no alcohol presence in his blood sample.”