2 killed in Panchkula as SUV crashes into medical shop

The police have identified the deceased as Daulat Ram, 80, medical shop owner, and Navjot, aged around 20, who was sitting outside a nearby shop.

According to the police, a man sitting in the rear seat of the car, an SUV, moved to the driver’s seat, while it was parked outside the shop when the driver stepped out to relieve himself around 3 pm. “He unintentionally started the car, and pressed the accelerator. The vehicle surged forward, ramming into the medical shop,” said a police source.

Under the impact of the crash, Daulat Ram’s leg was severed in the crash and Navjot was sustained grievous injuries.Though both were rushed to the hospital, the doctors declared them dead on arrival.

The postmortem of the deceased was being conducted on Friday at Civil Hospital Sector 6, Panchkula.

The impact of the crash was so severe that the wall of the shop also got damaged, said Karan Singh, a nearby shop owner.

The police have registered a case at Sector 5 police station and launched an investigation
Rakesh Goyal, son of Daulat Ram, who expressed shock at the tragedy, said his father was fit and active and had been running the shop for the past two decades. “It is sudden and unfortunate that we lost him,” said Goyal.

According to the police, tragedy struck Navjot when he stopped to have a cup of tea at Majri Chowk while on his way to a temple.
Navjot, a resident of Solan, had also lost his parents in a road accident, said a police officer.