Palwal accident: Haryana cop runs car over kids returning from school, two siblings dead

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Two children, aged nine and 13, were killed while their seven-year-old sibling was critically injured after a drunk policeman ran over them with his car in Palwal’s Uttawar village. The tragic accident occurred on Monday afternoon when the siblings were returning from school on foot, Hindustan Times reported.

The victims were identified as Mohammad Ayan, 13, who studied in Class 4, and his younger brother, Mohammad Ahsaan, 9, a Class 3 student. Their youngest sibling, Mohammad Arjaan, 7, a Class 2 student, survived the crash but suffered serious injuries. All three studied at the same government school in Uttawar and were walking home with their grandfather, Aas Mohammad, when the car mowed them down.

According to the police, the accident happened between 1.30 and 2.00 pm. Recounting the incident, Aas Mohammad, grandfather of the children, said, “We were walking on the extreme left of the road. The children were ahead of me. The speeding car suddenly came from behind and hit them. It had come on the dusty sidewalk. The driver immediately sped away from the spot even without slowing down.”

“Such was the impact that two of my grandchildren were flung in the air for several feet. I froze as the incident unfolded before me,” the grandfather was quoted by HT as saying.

The children were immediately rushed to Nalhar Medical College and Hospital in Nuh. Doctors there declared Ayan and Ahsaan dead on arrival. Arjaan, who was in a very critical condition, was referred to PGIMS, Rohtak, for advanced treatment.

The driver was later identified as Narender Singh, a head constable posted as a reader in the Nuh DSP’s office. Singh, who was in uniform at the time of the accident, was allegedly on his way to his village, Pahad, about 10 km away from the accident spot. Villagers chased him after he tried to escape and caught him after some distance. They also thrashed him and damaged his new Hyundai Exter car, which still had a temporary number plate and plastic covers inside.

According to deputy superintendent of police (Hathin) Mohinder Singh, the constable was under the influence of alcohol. “He was returning from Nuh in his newly purchased car. Prima facie, it appeared that he was drunk. A medical test will confirm the exact details,” the DSP said.

Local residents, angered by the policeman’s behaviour, said he appeared arrogant even after the accident. “Several villagers ran after him, forcing him to stop. He clearly seemed drunk,” said Tarif Hussain, a resident.

Some villagers did not wait for an ambulance and instead used private vehicles to rush the injured children to the hospital, hoping to save their lives.

On the complaint of the children’s grandfather, an FIR was being registered at Uttawar police station under sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The bodies of the two boys were handed over to the family after post-mortem examinations on Monday evening.