Three Kanwariyas mowed to death by drunk driver on Delhi-Meerut e-way

Three people from Faridabad, who were reportedly undertaking a kanwar pilgrimage on the occasion of Mahashivratri, died after a speeding car driven by a drunk driver mowed them down on the Meerut-Ghaziabad carriageway of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Bhojpur early on Wednesday, police said.

Police identified the victims as Devendra Kumar, 40, his brother Harendra Kumar, 38, and Ajay Kumar, 30. The three of them and two others, who were travelling on motorbikes, were waiting on the roadside when a Tata Harrier rammed into the stationary bikes at 12.50am on Wednesday, police said.

“The five injured were rushed to a hospital, but three of them were declared dead. Two injured are under treatment. The driver of the car was arrested and the car seized. An FIR was registered,” said Surendra Nath Tiwary, deputy commissioner of police (rural zone).

Police, however, did not confirm if the victims and their friends were coming from Haridwar and whether they were kanwariyas, but the complaint filed with the police and the FIR mentions them to be kanwariyas. Police also reiterated that entry of two-wheelers on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway was banned.

The accused was identified as Nikunj Jain, 23, of Begum Pul in Meerut. “Prima facie, Jain seemed under influence of alcohol as stated during his preliminary medical examination conducted by doctors. The five men were waiting on the expressway for arrival of another group,” said Gyan Prakash Rai, ACP (Modinagar circle).

Complainant Rahul Singh, who was part of the group, said in his police complaint that he and his two brothers, along with “15-20 others went to take Shiv Kanwar from Haridwar and reached the expressway around 1am on February 26” when the incident took place. “My brothers Devendra, Harendra and Ajay were sitting on one bike while Sunil and Sundar (another pair of siblings) were sitting on the other bike parked roadside. Others and I were in a tempo which was at some distance from the bikes,” he said in the complaint.

He said that a group of people rushed them to a private hospital in Ghaziabad. “There, the doctors declared Devendra, Harendra and Ajay as dead while Sunil and Sundar were admitted for treatment,” the FIR said.

Police registered an FIR under sections 281 (rash driving on public way), 125 (rash and negligent acts endangering life and personal safety of others) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Bhojpur police station.