Bride, three others killed as SUV rams into combine near Ludhiana

Four of a marriage party, including the bride, were killed on Monday when the
sports utility vehicle they were travelling in hit a crop harvesting machine on the New Delhi-Amritsar highway near
Dhandari here.

The Mahindra Bolero was returning to Ludhiana from Jagadhri in Haryana after the wedding on Sunday night. The deceased have been identified as Heena Ansari, 22, her sisters-in-law Husna Bano, 30, Zarina Khatun, 27, and Jamshed Ansari, 27, who was driving the vehicle.

Among the critically injured are Heena’s husband Anjum Ansari and her twin sister Rukhsana.

The Sahnewal police have registered a case of causing death due to negligence against combine driver Avtar Singh who also suffered injuries in the accident.

Groom’s brother Arif Ansari said all relatives were heading back to Ludhiana in 11 vehicles. “The Bolero ferrying newlyweds was ahead of my vehicle. “When we reached Dhandari, I saw the combine driver taking a sudden turn following which the Bolero Jeep crashed into it,” he added.

ASI Baljit Singh, who is investigating the case, said the preliminary probe has revealed that the Bolero was over-speeding.

The Ansari family has an embroidery business. Hailing from Patna, the family is settled in Ludhiana from the past three decades.

Roshan Ara Ansari was eagerly waiting to welcome her daughter-in-law at her Krishan Vihar home on Tibba Road and could not sleep out of excitement. However, when she heard about the mishap, she collapsed.

Ansari’s neighbours, a Muslim newlywed couple, who solemnized marriage on Saturday, have cancelled their reception after the tragedy.