Four children among injured; family was sleeping near Victory Tunnel
TNR News Network
SHIMLA: In a tragic turn of events on Diwali night, five members of a migrant family from Rajasthan, including a four-month-old baby, were injured after a speeding car rammed into an iron railing near the Victory Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla late Monday night.
The impact of the collision caused the railing and a signboard to collapse onto the pavement where the family was sleeping.
The incident occurred around 10.15 pm when a taxi (registration number HP01N 0561) allegedly being driven at high speed from the wrong side hit the railing. The debris fell on the sleeping family, leaving them seriously injured. Local residents rushed to their aid and called for help.
The victims were first taken to Ripon Hospital for primary treatment and later referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Shimla, where all five are undergoing treatment.
We were fast asleep when everything came crashing down, say injured
One of the injured, Kailash (22), told the police that he and his relatives were asleep on the pavement near the tunnel when the car suddenly came hurtling toward them. “The taxi hit the railing with such force that the iron bars and a metal signboard came crashing down on us. We didn’t even have time to react,” he said from his hospital bed.
The injured have been identified as Bheri (22), wife of Bhairu; Sona (4), daughter of Bhairu; Vishal (8) and Maya (6), children of Jamnalal; and Kishan (4 months), son of Ramlal. All belong to Chittorgarh district in Rajasthan and earn their livelihood by selling balloons and small toys on the streets of Shimla.
Driver held, car impounded
Police officials from Sadar police station said the car driver has been taken into custody and the vehicle has been impounded. A case has been registered under Sections 281 and 125(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.
“We have detained the driver and initiated an investigation to determine whether he was under the influence of alcohol or speeding beyond permissible limits,” said SHO Dharam Sen Negi.
Festival night turns into horror
What was meant to be a night of celebration turned into one of pain and panic for the roadside vendors who had been resting after the day’s work. The sight of the mangled railing and scattered belongings near the Victory Tunnel painted a grim picture of the dangers faced by those who make pavements their home.
Doctors at IGMC said the condition of all five injured is stable but they remain under observation.
