Border force officer, driver killed after SUV crosses divider, hits car in UP

An ITBP DIG and his driver were killed after their SUV crossed the divider and hit an oncoming car in Saharanpur. Police said the cause is still under investigation, while several injured occupants remain under treatment.

In Short

• Crash took place near Jhabiran cut under Sarsawa limits around 9.30 am
• Parminder Singh was travelling to Ambala after completing training in Mussoorie
• The mangled vehicles trapped occupants before locals and police launched rescue

A senior Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officer and his driver were killed after their SUV lost control, crossed the central divider and collided head-on with an oncoming car on the Dehradun-Panchkula National Highway in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Saturday morning, police said.

The accident occurred near the Jhabiran cut under the Sarsawa police station limits at around 9.30 am.

According to police, the Scorpio carrying ITBP Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Parminder Singh became uncontrollable, hit the divider and entered the opposite carriageway before crashing into a Swift Dzire travelling towards Haridwar.

Parminder Singh, who had recently completed a training programme in Mussoorie, was travelling to Ambala at the time of the accident.

His driver, Ravi Shankar, and gunner Jairam were also in the vehicle.

The impact left both vehicles badly mangled, trapping the occupants inside.

POLICE LEADS RESCUE OPERATION

Police and local residents launched a rescue operation and pulled out the injured before shifting them to a nearby hospital.

Emergency Medical Officer Dr Nitin Jain of the Government Medical College said DIG Parminder Singh and his driver Ravi Shankar were declared dead on arrival.

Gunner Jairam sustained injuries to his hand and is undergoing treatment.

The occupants of the Swift Dzire, identified as Gurunanak Singh (49), Devendra Kaur (55) and Gurnam Singh (55), also suffered injuries in the collision. Police said one of them is in critical condition, while the others are receiving treatment.

SCORPIO LOST CONTROL: POLICE

Saharanpur Superintendent of Police Shailendra Srivastava said preliminary investigation indicated that the Scorpio lost control before crossing the divider into the opposite lane, leading to the head-on collision with the car carrying a family towards Haridwar.

"The police reached the spot immediately after receiving information about the accident and shifted the injured to hospital. The DIG and his driver died in the accident, while one person in the Swift Dzire sustained critical injuries. Treatment of all the injured is underway," the SP said.

Police have sent the bodies of DIG Parminder Singh and Ravi Shankar for post-mortem examination.

Officials said the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, and evidence from the accident site has been collected as part of the ongoing investigation.

- Ends