Three cousins were killed after a truck allegedly veered into their hatchback and crashed head-on on the narrow Girna river bridge near Bambhori village in Jalgaon district on Sunday night, police said. The truck driver allegedly fled after the collision, and a case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act.
The deceased were identified as Pankaj Chaudhary, 28, Harish Chaudhary, 29, and Ravindra Chaudhary, 33. All three were residents of Zurkheda village in Dharangaon taluka. They were travelling in a hatchback after attending a religious feast, locally known as a bhandara, in Vanoli village in Yawal taluka.
Assistant inspector Nayan Patil of Jalgaon Taluka police station said eight relatives and close friends had travelled to Vanoli in two vehicles. The group left Zurkheda at about 4pm, reached Vanoli by 6pm and began its return journey around 7.30pm. Pankaj was driving the hatchback, with Harish and Ravindra travelling as passengers. The second vehicle, a sedan, was being driven by their relative Sushil Chaudhary.
According to the complaint filed by Sushil, the hatchback had just climbed the bridge at about 9pm when the truck approaching from the opposite direction allegedly moved into its path and struck it. The impact severely damaged the car and trapped all three occupants inside the wreckage.
Sushil, who was driving behind the hatchback, rushed to the scene. With help from bystanders, he pulled the three men out of the damaged vehicle and called an ambulance. They were taken to Jalgaon civil hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival, police said.
The truck driver allegedly continued ahead before stopping the vehicle on the roadside and fleeing. Police registered a case against Anupam Prajapati, a resident of Budhanpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district, under sections 105, 281 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with other relevant provisions of the law.
The complaint also highlighted the safety risks posed by the bridge. Sushil said the Girna bridge is narrow and requires vehicles to proceed slowly and cautiously. He alleged that the truck driver was speeding and failed to account for the limited road space. The police case will now examine the circumstances of the collision and the driver’s alleged conduct.
