A tragic incident unfolded in Chandigarh when a 14-year-old boy lost his life, and his 16-year-old friend was injured in a collision with a recklessly driven auto-rickshaw near Press Light Point on Monday. The auto-rickshaw driver fled the scene, leaving the victims in pain.
The complaint about this incident was lodged based on the statement provided by the 16-year-old friend of the deceased. Both boys lived in the Sector-25 slum area and were engaged in the work of collecting garbage.
According to the friend's account, they had gone to Sector 26 in Chandigarh to collect garbage. Lacking money for transportation, they decided to walk home. As they crossed Press Light Point and reached the slip road towards Sector 17, an auto-rickshaw approached from Sector 17/18 light point. The driver of the auto-rickshaw made a rash turn without warning or using the horn, resulting in a collision with the two boys. The impact caused the complainant to fall on the road, while his friend suffered severe injuries.
Shockingly, the auto-rickshaw driver fled the scene immediately after the accident, leaving the victims in agony.
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Fortunately, a passing motorcyclist spotted the injured boys lying in a pool of blood and stopped to help. Another local boy who happened to be passing by also stopped and joined the rescue efforts. With the assistance of the motorcyclist, they rushed the injured friend to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital Sector 16 (GMSH-16) and later took the complainant to the hospital as well. Tragically, despite medical treatment, the friend succumbed to his injuries and lost his life.
The surviving friend, Varun, informed the police that he could identify the auto-rickshaw driver. This information could potentially aid in tracking down the driver responsible for the accident.
The Sector 17 police have registered a case against an unidentified individual under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These sections include Section 279 (related to rash driving on a public road), Section 337 (pertaining to causing hurt by actions endangering the lives or safety of others), and Section 304A (concerning causing death by negligence).
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This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of road safety and responsible driving, as the reckless actions of the auto-rickshaw driver resulted in a young life being lost and another young boy being injured. The authorities will continue their investigation to identify and apprehend the driver responsible for this heartbreaking incident.