12 people, including six women, killed in Himachal accident
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Jul, 2022 11:23 AM
Shimla, July 4 (IANS) Twelve people, six of them women, were killed and three others injured on Monday when a private bus rolled into a gorge in the interiors of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh, police said.
Most of the victims were locals and the bus was on its way from Shainshar to Kullu. The accident occurred close to Shainshar in the Sainj valley.
Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said the Sainj-bound bus fell into the gorge at around 9.15 a.m.
The injured have been admitted to Regional Hospital in Kullu town.
Eyewitnesses said the administration has been facing a tough time extricating the victims from the badly-mangled bus.
People in the area began the rescue operation even before the local authorities reached the spot.
Expressing grief over the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the bus accident in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu is heart-rending and announced Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.
"The bus accident in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh is heart-rending. In this tragic hour my thoughts are with the bereaved families," Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by his office.
"I hope those injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected," he said.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, whereas Rs 15,000 as immediate relief for the injured. He said free treatment would be provided to the injured.
Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh had directed the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, and the Divisional Commissioner of Mandi to reach the accident spot to supervise the rescue operation.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday carried out his first Cabinet expansion by inducting five legislators, including second-time MLA Aman Arora, into his council of ministers. The expansion came in less than four months of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping to victory in the Assembly elections by winning 92 seats of the 117 seats.
The police have so far managed to nab four of the accused, including one woman, who have been identified as Gurjant Singh (31), Navjot Singh (30), Satpal Singh (28) and Gurpreet Kaur (30).
The ambidextrous sharpshooter, identified as Ankit alias Chhota, a resident of Sonipat in Haryana, was most desperate to commit the crime."He fired simultaneously from two pistols in his two hands," H.G.S. Dhaliwal, Special Commissioner (Special Cell), said during a media briefing.
With this the two-and-half year old, three-party Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress government experiment has collapsed, barely hours after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari ordered a floor test late on Tuesday night.
In a daze the victim handed over her gold locket and a pair of golden tops to the accused. When she regained her senses she called the police. Based on her complaint, the police registered a case under sections 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
In regulatory filing, Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of the Reliance group, said the Board of Directors at its meeting held on Monday "approved the appointment of Akash Ambani, Non-executive Director, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company".
