Car driver goes berserk, five run over in Ambala

AMBALA: In a midnight accident, a Volkswagen Polo driver ran over five people on a stretch between Ambala Polytechnic College and Jandali Bridge, near Galaxy Mall in Sector 7 here, on Wednesday.


Six persons, including the driver, two men and three minor slum-dweller girls, were injured. They have been identified as Renu, 7, Babita, 3, Archana, 5, Pritampal Singh, 25, Ramandeep Singh, 24, and Naveen Verma (accused driver), all residents of Ambala City.

Eyewitness Daya Ram, who sells fruits and lives along the road in a hut, said, "Around 11.30pm, the car first hit a two-wheeler-borne man about 150 feet from our huts, and then ran over another man eating eggs at a roadside stall. As the driver lost control of the car, he ran into hutments, injuring three girls. The vehicle then rammed an electricity pole and halted... else it would have hit more people." Sources said the driver, Naveen, was suffering from depression due to some family problems and was not intoxicated. The Ambala police reached the spot and rushed the injured to civil hospital.

3 slum girls at PGI for treatment

Dr Deepika Garg of the hospital told the TOI, “Six persons were hurt critically, including the driver. All of them were immediately referred to PGI, Chandigarh. They have fractures and serious head injuries. The driver’s medical examination will reveal if he was drunk.”

Investigating officer ASI Shamsher Singh Dhull said, “We will check if the driver was drunk or intoxicated with some other drugs. The three girls are undergoing treatment at PGI, while the three men have been discharged. We have arrested Naveen, who said he could not understand what happened to him and he could not lift his foot from the accelerator. He will be presented before the court on Friday.”

A case has been registered under sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees or above) of the IPC at Baldev Nagar police station.