A 26-year-old constable was killed and three other policemen were injured after being hit by a speeding tempo on the highway in Akbarpur area of Kanpur Dehat district.
The incident took place when the policemen were trying to help a drunkard lying on the highway late on Wednesday night. The drunkard, whose identity has not been established, was also killed in the accident.
Among the three injured policemen is a sub-inspector, a senior police official discloses, adding that the injured have been admitted to a hospital.
According to reports, Sub-Inspector Mathura Prasad, along with head constable Arvind Kumar and constables Saurabh Kumar and Vivek Kumar, was on patrol duty when he found a drunkard lying on the highway at Madhapur bridge. Additional Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Rajesh Kumar Pandey said that the police personnel immediately jumped from their vehicle and as constable Vivek Kumar tried to pull up the drunkard, a speeding loader-tempo hit him and he fell from the bridge and died.
The other policemen sustained serious injuries in their hands, legs and waist and were taken to the district hospital from where constable Saurabh was shifted to Regency Hospital.
Vivek Kumar, a native of Saharanpur, had joined the Uttar Pradesh Police in 2019. He was posted at Akbarpur police station, the ASP added.
Meanwhile, police arrested the erring driver who was identified as Surendra Kumar Gupta, a resident of Delhi, and the vehicle was also seized.
After getting information about the constable’s death, top officials, including district police chief BBGTS Murthy, reached the accident site.
An FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 279 (rash driving), 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 and 338 (causing hurt by act endangering life of others), police said.
Meanwhile, a 48-year-old man, returning home after the cremation of his father, was killed and seven others were injured when their car crashed into a tree and overturned into a pit in Aligarh district, police said on Thursday.
Krishna Kumar, a grocery shop owner, was pronounced dead at the JN Medical College where all the injured were taken for treatment.
Late Wednesday evening, family members and relatives gathered in Rajghat, Bulandshahr, for the last rites. While returning, on Anupshahr road, the driver apparently lost control over the car in trying to avoid a collision with another vehicle, said police.
The car rammed into a tree and veered into a pit.
Station House Officer of Jawan police station, Shavya Goel, said: “After the autopsy, the body was handed over to the family. No case was registered as Krishna’s family did not want to pursue legal action.”
