In a heart-wrenching incident early Monday morning, six young people lost their lives and one person was critically injured after their speeding multi-utility vehicle (MUV) collided with a container truck near ONGC Chowk in Dehradun.
The deceased have been identified as Guneet Singh (19), Kamakshi Singhal (20), Navya Goyal (23), Rishabh Jain (24), Atul Agrawal (24), all residents of Dehradun, and Kunal Kukreja (23), a resident of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh. Siddhesh Agrawal, the 25-year-old driver of the MUV, is currently in critical condition and battling for his life in the hospital.
This is Insane, Shocking #RoadAccident in #Dehradun 6 De@d including 3 Girls #ViralVideo #TejRan #ShilpaShirodkar #Accident #TamannaahBhatia #HeraPheri3 #DishaPatani #ChennaiRains pic.twitter.com/AnZMduxIyD
— Rajesh Journalist (@SankalpSavera) November 12, 2024
According to authorities, the MUV was traveling at a high speed of over 100 km/h when the accident occurred around 1:30 AM. CCTV footage and witness statements indicate that the vehicle was attempting to overtake a luxury car before misjudging the intersection timing. As a container truck was crossing the intersection at a normal pace, the MUV collided with the truck’s left side, leading to the tragic incident.
The impact was so severe that it ripped the roof off the MUV, decapitating two of the passengers. The vehicle was left completely mangled, resembling a pile of twisted metal.
The group of young individuals was returning from a party hosted by Siddhesh Agrawal. Authorities confirmed that five of the deceased, all from well-to-do business families in Dehradun, were students at a private university in the city. One was an alumnus of a local engineering college. Siddhesh Agrawal, who was behind the wheel, ran a home interior showroom in the Rajpur Road area.
Several hours before the crash, a local restaurant owner claimed to have spotted the MUV speeding on the wrong side of Rajpur Road near Pacific Mall at around 1 AM. He narrowly avoided a head-on collision and immediately alerted the police at a nearby barricade. Despite his efforts to warn authorities, no action was reportedly taken by the police. Later that night, the concerned citizen emailed local authorities about the reckless driving.
The restaurant owner’s account was corroborated by police, who stated they had no prior knowledge of the warning call or email. Dehradun’s City SP, Pramod Kumar, stated that if any information regarding the incident surfaces, an inquiry will be conducted. However, he noted that it’s challenging for the police to deploy barricades on internal roads of the city.
The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities are piecing together the sequence of events leading to the tragic collision. The truck driver, who fled the scene after the accident, is not believed to have been at fault. Further inquiries are expected to shed light on the full circumstances surrounding the crash.
As Dehradun mourns the loss of these promising young lives, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of speeding and the importance of road safety, especially at night.
