Jamshedpur, Oct 26: In a distressing incident on Vijayadashami at Bailey Bodhanwala Ghat, two lives were lost, and three individuals sustained severe injuries. Following this incident, an FIR for culpable homicide was filed against the driver, leading to his subsequent arrest. The accused driver, identified as Prakash Singh from Jugsalai, was apprehended in Ranchi by the authorities. He has been remanded to judicial custody as of Thursday.
According to Prakash Singh’s statement to the police, he was not originally a truck driver but worked as a car driver. The tragic turn of events unfolded when officials from the Jugsalai Naya Bazaar Committee had hired a 709 truck for the idol immersion. Despite being a car driver, he was asked to operate the vehicle. Two days before the immersion, the vehicle’s owner, Prince Bhatia, and Sanjeev Tiwari from the Sanju Sahu Puja Committee, requested Prakash to drive the idol-laden truck due to the unavailability of the assigned driver. Prakash, however, declined.
On the day of the immersion, Prakash was near Chintu Bhalotia’s residence when Sanju Sahu, from the Jugsalai Naya Bazaar Puja Pandal, arrived with a car loaded with the idol. Coercively, he handed over the car keys to Prakash and instructed him to drive the truck. At the time, Prakash was under the influence of alcohol and initially refused to drive. Under pressure, he reluctantly agreed to take the truck to the ghat.
While maneuvering the vehicle, as directed by the puja committee members, an unfortunate mishap occurred due to the steep slope, causing the truck to lose control and tumble down the incline, resulting in the accident. Following the incident, Prakash absconded to his in-laws’ residence in Ranchi Doranda.
