DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand capital Dehradun grappled with the devastating aftermath of a car crash that claimed six young lives and left one critically injured as horrid details of the accident came in. With the tragedy shaking the city to its core, sparking grief, shock, and a collective determination to tackle the dangers of reckless driving, parents of young adults could be seen bringing their children to Cantt police station to view the mangled remains of the speeding multi-utility vehicle (MUV) that collided with a container truck at ONGC intersection at 1.30am on Tuesday. The wreckage has become a chilling reminder of consequences of negligence behind the wheel.
The victims, aged between 19 and 24, were identified as Guneet Singh, Kamakshi Singhal, Navya Goyal, Rishabh Jain, and Atul Agrawal (all from Dehradun) and Kunal Kukreja from Himachal Pradesh. The lone survivor, Siddhesh Agrawal, 25, remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
Atul, who was driving, reportedly lost control of the vehicle, leading to the fatal collision. Preliminary investigations suggest overspeeding as primary cause of the crash, with the truck driver cleared of fault. Witnesses described the crash site as harrowing, with severed body parts and mangled metal strewn across the road. Videos from the scene have circulated widely on social media. The hashtag ‘#DehradunCarAccident’ trended on social media platforms, with over 6,000 posts on X urging drivers to exercise caution. Reports suggested the group had embarked on a late-night drive following a party at home of sole survivor, reigniting discussions on the dangers of drunk driving.
DGP Abhinav Kumar issued directives for a state-wide crackdown on traffic violations, including overspeeding, drunken driving, wrong-side driving, and overloading. “Vehicles driven under the influence must be seized immediately,” Kumar said. He also called for strict penalties for guardians and vehicle owners if minors are caught driving. Many parents, shaken by the incident, are using the tragedy to educate their children about the risks of reckless driving.
Meanwhile, police on Friday registered a case against an unidentified person under section 106(2) of BNS for “causing death by rash and negligent driving and fleeing the scene.”
