Seven pilgrims, including three minors, died on the spot after the car they were traveling in collided with a parked truck on the Jambusar Amod state highway at Gujarat’s Mangadh village in Bharuch district, early on Tuesday.
The car, ferrying pilgrims from different villages of Jambusar taluka, was on its way to attend a religious fair at the Shuklatirth temple. A police officer said that the driver of the car did not see the truck as it was dark early in the morning. The truck was parked because its driver and cleaner were replacing one of its punctured wheels, a police officer said.
The local people alerted the Jambusar police and rescued the injured. They also arranged ambulance services. By the time the police reached the spot, the truck driver and the cleaner had absconded.
The deceased have been identified as Jaydev Gohil, 23, his wife Saraswati alias Sapna Gohil, 21 — residents of the Panch Kakda village in Jambusar — Vivek Ganpat Gohil, 16 — a resident of Tankari village in Jambusar — Kirtiben Ranchodbhai, 6, a resident of Aladar village in Vagra taluka, Hansha Arvind Jadav, 35, and her daughter Sandhyaben Jadav, 11, — residents of Vedach village — and Mitalben Jadav, 40, of the Tankari village in Jambusar.
Three persons were injured and they were immediately hospitalized in Jambusar and were later shifted to a private hospital in Vadodara. The injured have been identified as Ganpat Gohil, 46, and his daughter Nidhi Gohil, 12, both residents of Tankari village in Jambusar, and Arvind Raijibhai Jadav, 40, of Vedach village.
The Jambusar police have registered a case against the truck driver and his assistant under Sections 285 (negligent conduct), 125 (a) (endangering life or personal safety of others), and 125 (b) (wrongful confinement) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita Act, and different sections of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Sub-inspector K N Solanki, the investigating officer, said, “The truck wheel got punctured and the driver had not put up signboards on the front side or the back side on the road of the parked truck. Even the truck’s parking lights were off. The car driver may not have seen the truck. The truck driver and his assistant are yet to be arrested.”