Road mishap kills Kanwaljit
Minister’s car collides with two trucks near Kharar
Probe ordered, 7-day mourning in Punjab
The Punjab government has asked the Commissioner, Patiala Division, to hold an inquiry into the accident. The government has also declared a seven-day mourning.
Holiday today, exams as scheduled
The state declared a public holiday on Monday as a mark of respect to the minister. The school and university examinations will, however, be held as scheduled. Kharar, March 29Senior Akali leader and Punjab Co-operation Minister Captain Kanwaljit Singh was killed while his driver Parminder Singh and PSO Rattan Singh were injured when the car they were travelling in collided with two trucks on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana Highway , near Khanpur village in Kharar, this evening. The condition of the driver is said to be critical.
Doctors attending on the Captain at the PGI, where he was referred from the Kharar Civil Hospital, announced him dead at 8.30 pm, four hours after the mishap. The accident took place at T Point in Khanpur, which is the bifurcation point for one road leading to the Kharar Civil Hospital and the other towards NH 95.
The Hyundai Elantra (CH 03 S 0074), in which the miinister and the two others were travelling, was coming from the Ludhiana side. Close to the curve, the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle and banged into the rear tyre of the truck coming from the opposite direction.
By the impact of the collision, the car spun on its axis and collided head-on with another truck (HR 58 A 9791), coming from Chandigarh side. The minister, who was sitting in the front seat, suffered maximum impact of the collision.
Both trucks belonged to a Ghaziabad-based company, Bombay Patiala Company, and were on way to Ludhiana. Both drivers are reportedly absconding.
The minister and his driver were pulled out from it by the staff of the pilot vehicle, which was travelling ahead. Valuable time was lost in extracting the minister as he was stuck between the twisted metal sheets and the air bag that had burst with the impact. Onlookers had to use hammers and rods to wrench out the twisted metal.
Talking to TNS in the hospital, Rattan Singh said they were returning after attending a marriage in Ludhiana. “All I remember is that a truck coming from the opposite side hit the car, which turned turtle at least thrice,” he said.
Constable Ravinder Singh, first to reach the accident site, said the minister’s gunmen extracted him out of the vehicle with great difficulty.
Eyewitnesses claimed that his face was smashed beyond recognition and he was bleeding profusely from his chest. Doctors at the civil hospital, where he was initially taken, corroborated this and said they were not able to even recognise him.
Subsequently, he was rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh, where the doctors initially described his condition as “very critical” and said that besides the injuries, he suffered a “cardiac” arrest.
Doctors said he had suffered “extensive and grievous” injuries on the upper part of his body. PGI Director KK Talwar said he had sustained, “head, bone and chest injuries”.
Due to the election code of conduct, the minister was using a private vehicle of one of his supporters. Police personnel said the vehicle was rashly driven.