55-year-old scooter rider killed as speeding Thar rams him on Diwali eve
The SUV allegedly dragged Santosh Singh Chauhan for 25-30 metres before crashing into a residential boundary wall; police are examining CCTV footage to identify the driver
For a family in Kanpur, Diwali celebrations turned into mourning after a 55-year-old man was killed in a road accident on Saturday evening, on the eve of the festival. A speeding Mahindra Thar, allegedly driven by a woman, rammed into his scooter.
The accident took place around 7.30 pm in the Awas Vikas-3 locality of Kanpur's Kalyanpur area. According to eyewitnesses, two women and a man were travelling in the Mahindra Thar, with one of the women behind the wheel. A video of the incident circulating on social media appears to show a woman stepping out of the driver's seat after the collision.
NDTV quoted an eyewitness saying that the SUV was travelling at high speed when it rammed into Santosh Singh Chauhan's scooter. The impact dragged the scooter rider for around 25 to 30 metres, before the Thar went out of control, broke through the boundary wall of a residential property. Another eyewitness said he saw two women and a man inside the SUV following the collision.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Dileep Kumar Singh said the police reached the spot after receiving information about the accident and found the scooter rider dead. He said a case was being registered following a complaint from the scooter rider's family.
Chauhan was just a short distance from his home when the accident occurred. His son Rahul Chauhan said his father had left home on his scooter and had told the family that he would return shortly. The accident reportedly took place around 500 metres from their residence.
Meanwhile, police have seized the damaged Thar and traced its registered owner through the vehicle's number plate. Reportedly, the vehicle was registered to a person identified as Krishna Kumar, whose address is in Panka Bahadur Nagar, Panki.
However, the identities of the three occupants and that of the person driving the SUV at the time of the accident have not yet been officially established. Police are examining CCTV footage and recording eyewitness statements as part of the investigation. It is also not clear whether the driver was subjected to an alcohol test.