Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Aug 16: Four persons were killed including two college going students and a factory worker while 32 others were injured after a rashly driven matador bearing registration number JK08A/4547 turned turtle on Samba -Chillayarian link road early this morning.
The matador, which had a capacity of 20 passengers was over loaded with 35 people. It was on way from Chillayarian to Samba. The majority of passengers were the college and school going students.
The dead were identified as Prem Kumar, 33, S/o Ajit Kumar of Sarthian a border village in Samba district, Mehak 18, D/o Balkar Singh of Chillayrian Samba, Janu, 17, a class 12th student S/o Balbir Singh of Kangwala and Ramesh, S/o Naseeb Chand of Sarthian.
Click here to Watch Video
While three passengers died on spot, Naseeb Chand breathed his last on way to GMC. His body has been kept in GMC mortuary. The cremation of other three took place in the afternoon in their respective villages.
The injured were first taken to DH Samba where from 22 of them were shifted to GMC Jammu while others are undergoing treatment in D H Samba.
According to injured passengers, the matador had to stop for some time as the Railway crossing was closed for 10 minutes as train was on way to Jammu. After the railway gate was opened the driver speeded up the vehicle, saying that he was getting late. Though some passengers asked him to control the speed he did not mind saying that he was running very late. Soon after traveling some distance, he lost control over the vehicle, which turned turtle resulting into the death of three passengers on spot including two college going students and injury to 32 others.
Soon after the accident; protests triggered in Samba with people taking to streets and protesting against the Traffic Police, administration and Transport Department whom they held responsible for increasing accidents.
The protestors did not spare the local MLA, Dr D K Manyal who was also injured in the stone pelting by mob when he visited cremation ground Kopar Nullah this afternoon to take part in the cremation of one of the accident victims of the area. The unruly mob which had gathered to participate in the cremation of the youth targeted the vehicle of the MLA also and damaged its window screens. The MLA received a grievous injury in the head. He was first taken to District Hospital Samba where from doctors referred him to GMC Jammu and he is undergoing treatment in ICU of GMC Ward Number 3.
The driver and conductor of the matador fled after the accident. Soon after the accident the people including the family members and relatives of dead and injured assembled and held a massive protest. They also squatted on National Highway with the dead body of one of the accident victims and raised slogans against the administration, Traffic Police and Hospital Administration. The movement of vehicular traffic was also disrupted on NH for some time.
The protestors alleged that the Traffic Police as well as Transport Department have failed in checking the overloading and rash driving which have become the cause of increasing accidents in the area. The tempers ran high as there was no staff as well as ambulance available in DH Samba. One of the protestors said that two months back one girl and boy died in the similar type of accident in the area.
“They alleged that Traffic Police has failed to regulate and check the traffic on the roads. They only take money from the drivers and let them violate the rules”, said one of the injured girl who was undergoing treatment at DH Samba. She said no body bothers what happens with the people and passengers.
Another injured passenger said that there is no proper public transport service in the area as one passenger vehicle plies after interval of over one hour with the result there is heavy rush of passengers also and they are compelled to travel in overload too.“We had taken up the issue with the concerned district authorities several times demanding that the number of matadors or buses be increased in the area but to no avail”, she added.
The protestors even alleged that they were not treated properly at DH Hospital and despite having CT Scan facilities in DH Samba the injured people were referred to GMC Jammu. This also generated a lot of resentment among the people.
However SSP Samba, Anil Magotra told reporters that a thorough probe will be held in the allegations leveled by students and other passengers.
Soon after hearing the news, Dr Manyal visited the DH Samba and himself also examined the injured passengers. The MLA while talking to Excelsior said that he also arranged the ambulances for shifting the injured to Hospital.
The police has seized the matador and has launched a manhunt for driver and conductor.
DySP Headquarters Samba Tanveer Ahmed said that various teams have been sent to different areas to locate the driver and conductor.
SSP Samba, Anil Magotra said that people had grievances and they complained overloading by the matadors. Moreover they alleged that the injured were shifted to GMC despite having CT Scan facility in D H Samba. He said this all will be looked into.
The injured who were referred to GMC included Amit Kumar, 25, S/o Ram Kumar of Sadol Samba, Miraj Din, 68, S/o Sultaz Din, Ramgarh Samba, Vishal, 10, S/o Ganga Ram of Sarthian Samba, Romesh Chander, 45, Naseeb Chand, Sarthi Khurd Samba, Govind Singh, S/o Joginder Singh of Chachwal Samba, Mukesh, 17, S/o Ganga Ram of Sarthian Kalan Samba, Mohit Sharma, 17, S/o Madan Lal also of Sarthian Samba, Sangi Ram, 38, S/o Kartar Chand of Sarthian Samba, Kishore Kumar, 42, S/o Banarsi Dass Shubam Singh, 17, S/o Sarat Singh, Hairat Singh , 20, S/o Kulwant Singh all of Chachwal Samba, Surinder Singh, 34, S/o Karnail Singh, Koushalya, 45, W/o Charan Dass both of Samba, Umesh Dass, 66, S/o Kunj Lal of Rehian Samba, Veer Singh, 42, S/o Sardar Singh, Pallvi Sharma, 20 D/o Mohinder Pal both of Chachwal Samba, Aman Choudhary, 19, S/o Kuldeep Raj of Paloura Camp Samba, Diksha Choudhary, 20, D/o Balbir Singh of Kanwal Camp Samba, Anshu Singh, 22, S/o Raghubir Singh of Chachwal Samba, Ganesh Kuamr, 29, S/o Sain Dass of Sarthi Samba, Anju Devi, 18, D/o Jagdev Singh of Chachwal Samba and Damini Devi, 22, D/o Jankar Singh of Mangu Chak Samba.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has expressed grief over the death of four persons in a road accident in Samba district today.
The Chief Minister has directed the Samba district administration to undertake immediate rescue operations at the spot and shift the injured for more specialised treatment.
Mehbooba has conveyed her sympathies to the families who lost their members in the accident.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
