Minister’s daughter killed in road accident in Jamshedpur

Four people, including Trisha Singh, daughter of Jharkhand Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, were killed early Thursday when their car rammed into a stationary truck on Marine Drive Road in Jamshedpur.

The accident took place around 2 to 3 am near Domuhani in the Sonari police station area.

A white Maruti Swift, carrying two men and two women, was travelling on the four-lane highway when it collided with the back of a truck that had broken down the previous night. Police said the vehicle had been stranded since around 10 pm on Wednesday and was parked on the right side of the road near the divider.

Although a branch from a leafy tree had been placed behind the truck as a warning, no proper reflectors or hazard lights were visible.

The crash flattened the front of the car and pushed it under the truck. When the rescue teams arrived, they discovered that all four people inside were trapped in the wreckage.

Using a gas cutter, the bodies were removed once the broken car had been cut open. Deputy Superintendent of Police Manoj Thakur stated that the four individuals had died immediately. The victims were identified as Trisha Singh, Sarthak Agarwal, Naman Gupta and Vanshika Khandelwal, all of whom lived in Sonari. Police said the four were young students travelling together. The bodies were then sent to the MGM Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Sanjay Suman, who is in charge of the Sonari police station, said police have launched an investigation to determine how the car hit the stationary truck and whether the broken-down vehicle was properly marked.

They observed that the lack of clear markings on the dark section of the highway might have contributed to the accident. The Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, called the deaths very distressing and stated that the sorrow of losing a child is intolerable for any parent. The Governor, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, described the news as heart-breaking as well, and the Health Minister, Irfan Ansari, and other officials expressed their condolences to the families who have suffered the loss.

The incident has once again highlighted the risks of leaving disabled vehicles on motorways at night without adequate lighting or signage.

Police said they would take further legal action following the investigation, but for the families of the four young victims, the sorrow caused by the tragedy will be hard to forget.