Two more lives snuffed out on killer Mohali roads
Two more lives were tragically lost on Saturday in separate road accidents in Mohali.
A 55-year-old scooterist and a 33-year-old car driver became the latest victims, taking the total number of fatalities on Mohali roads to 51 in just 75 days of this year—an alarming average of 10 deaths every fortnight.
This grim toll follows the 312 road fatalities recorded in 2024, reflecting the persistent lack of action by civic and police authorities in improving road safety. The total number of accidents in the district last year was 536, with 349 individuals suffering grievous injuries.
The first fatal mishap on Saturday occurred around 2.20 am near the Sector 66/67 light point, when a car driver stopped to relieve himself while returning home with his wife from Sohana.
The victim was identified as Bidambar Pathak, a resident of Phase 11.
His wife, Gurjit Kaur, told police that as he was about to return to the car, a speeding vehicle rammed into him from behind and fled the scene.
Despite being rushed to the hospital with the help of onlookers, Pathak succumbed to his injuries. Police identified the vehicle as a Hyundai Santro from Haryana, which had dragged the victim nearly 20 metres before escaping.
“We have identified the car. We will soon trace and arrest the absconding driver,” a police officer said.
Phase-11 police booked the unidentified car driver under Sections 281 (rash driving), 106 (causing death by negligence) and 324 (4) (mischief causing damage between ₹20,000 and ₹1 lakh) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Earlier on Saturday evening, a 55-year-old scooterist was killed after a tractor-trailer struck his vehicle on Barwala Road in Dera Bassi.
The deceased, Jaswinder Singh, was a resident of Lohgarh in Zirakpur. Singh, along with his friend Himanshu, was headed towards Dera Bassi, when a rashly driven tractor-trailer hit their scooter from behind around 7.30 pm.
While Himanshu escaped with minor injuries, Jaswinder suffered grievous head injuries, killing him on the spot.
The driver of the tractor fled on foot, leaving the vehicle behind. Police have impounded the tractor (PB42-E-4721).
Dera Bassi police booked the accused driver under Sections 281, 125 (A) (act endangering life or personal safety), 106 and 324 (A) of BNS, and launched a manhunt to nab him.
Speeding bike crashes into tree, rider dies
Chandigarh A tragic accident due to speeding claimed the life of a 24-year-old motorcyclist in Chandigarh on Sunday morning.
The victim, identified as Abhishek, a resident of Nayagaon, succumbed to his injuries after his high-speed bike lost control and crashed into a tree on the dividing road between Sector 8 and 9 around 10 am.
The impact of the collision was severe, leaving the bike mangled and Abhishek critically injured. Passers-by alerted police, who rushed him to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Police from the Sector 3 station informed Abhishek’s family about the incident and initiated an investigation. Preliminary findings suggest that the bike was being ridden at an extremely high speed, leading to the fatal crash.
