A religious procession turned into a scene of horror in Dhand town of Kaithal district on Sunday morning when a speeding car ploughed into a group of devotees taking out a ‘Prabhat Pheri’. The incident occurred on Pundri Road around 6:00 AM, resulting in the death of three women and leaving at least 15 others injured.
The Incident
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The Procession: Approximately 150-200 devotees were participating in the ‘Prabhat Pheri’ (morning procession) ahead of Ravidas Jayanti. The devotees, mostly women walking in a separate queue, were chanting bhajans when the tragedy struck.
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The Collision: A speeding Alto car, reportedly coming from the Pundri side, lost control and rammed into the crowd. Eyewitnesses stated the impact was so severe that victims were thrown several meters into the air.
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Casualties:
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Deceased: Two women, identified as Priyanka Devi (26) and Darshna Devi (61), died on the spot. A third victim, Anita, reportedly succumbed to her injuries while being referred to PGI Chandigarh.
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Injured: Around 15 people sustained serious injuries. Among them is Seena (21), a police aspirant whose legs were broken, shattering her dreams of joining the force. Other injured victims include Sonia, Sukhwinder Kaur, Mohanlal, and Seema.
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The Accused
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Driver: The driver has been identified as Manish, a resident of Shadipur, Kurukshetra.
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Arrest: He attempted to flee the scene but was overpowered by locals and handed over to the police.
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Drug Connection: Police recovered 242 grams of poppy husk (chura post) from the vehicle. The driver is alleged to have been under the influence of drugs/alcohol at the time of the crash.
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Charges: Dhand SHO Sunil Kumar confirmed that cases have been registered under relevant sections for rash driving and the NDPS Act.
