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Long-weekend trip from Indore to Puri turns fatal for 6 friends as car jumps over divider, crashes into oncoming truck

While the airbags saved the life of the person driving the Ertiga, the rest of the occupants were killed

Chhattisgarh car crash, Chhattisgarh car accident, Puri car accident, Indore car accident, Puri, Indore, Indian express news, current affairsFive of the friends have been identified as Akash Maurya (28) from Indore, Govind Punamchand (33) from Ratlam, Aman Rathore (26) from Indore, Nitin Yadav (34) from Indore, and Sangram Kesari from Neelkantpur in Odisha. The sixth deceased is yet to be identified.

Six friends from Indore, who had planned a four-day trip for the long weekend, were killed after the car they were travelling in veered out of control, jumped the divider and crashed into a truck on the opposite lane on a national highway in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district on Friday morning.

The accident took place around 5 am near Chirchari village on the Nagpur-Raipur national highway when a group of seven friends were travelling in an Ertiga from Indore to visit the Puri temple in Odisha. They had visited Ujjain on Thursday.

“It was raining at the time. The driver, Sagar Yadav, may have been driving all night, having left Indore the previous day. We suspect he lost control or may have had poor visibility of the road due to the heavy rain. Their car jumped the divider, which is less than a foot high, and a truck coming from the opposite end hit one side of the car,” said a police official from the Baghnadi police station.

While the airbags saved Sagar’s life, the rest of the six occupants were killed. The local police said that the accident site was not in the list of blind or accident-prone spots.

Five of the friends have been identified as Akash Maurya (28) from Indore, Govind Punamchand (33) from Ratlam, Aman Rathore (26) from Indore, Nitin Yadav (34) from Indore, and Sangram Kesari from Neelkantpur in Odisha. The sixth deceased is yet to be identified.

 

Jayprakash S Naidu is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently serving as the state correspondent for Chhattisgarh. With an extensive career in frontline journalism, he reports on the political, security, and humanitarian landscape of Central India. Expertise and Experience Specialized Conflict Reporting: Jayprakash is a leading voice on the Maoist/Naxalite conflict in the Bastar region. His reporting provides a critical, ground-level view of: Internal Security: Tracking high-stakes encounters, surrender programs for senior Maoist leaders, and the establishment of security camps in formerly inaccessible "heartland" villages. Tribal Rights & Displacement: Investigative reporting on the identity and land struggles of thousands of displaced tribals fleeing conflict zones for neighboring states. Governance & Bureaucratic Analysis: He consistently monitors the evolution of Chhattisgarh as it marks 25 years of statehood, covering: Electoral Politics: Analyzing the shift in power between the BJP and Congress and the impact of regional tribal movements. Public Policy: Reporting on landmark infrastructure projects (e.g., mobile connectivity in remote zones) and judicial interventions, such as High Court rulings on civil and family law. Diverse Investigative Background: Prior to his current focus on Chhattisgarh, Jayprakash held reported from Maharashtra, where he specialized in: Crisis & Disaster Management: Notable for his extensive coverage of the Cyclone Tauktae barge tragedy (P-305) and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on frontline personnel. Legal & Human Rights: Investigative pieces for platforms like Article-14, focusing on police accountability and custodial deaths across India. Environmental & Social Justice: Authoritative reporting on the Hasdeo Aranya forest protests and the approval of major tiger reserves, highlighting the tension between industrial mining and environmental preservation. ... Read More

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