HOSHIARPUR, Aug 9: Three members of a family were killed on the spot and as many wounded when a Maruti van in which they were returning from Hardwar after immersing the ashes of a family elder plunged into the Bist Doab canal after hitting the wall of its siphon near Kathgarh turning on the Balachaur-Ropar early this morning, police sources said.Those who died were Rakesh Kumar, his mother Roop Rani and his son Rishi Kumar, the sources added.Madhu Bhardwaj and Ishan, wife and son of Rakesh Kumar, and Rajit Kumar, son of Rajesh Bhardwaj, who were seriously wounded in the mishap, were rushed to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigarh after first aid. The family, belonging to Batala, was returning from Hardwar after immersing the ashes of Prem Nath, father of Rakesh Kumar.Balachaur Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Pritam Singh Johal, who rushed to the site with police force, arranged for sending the wounded to the PGI. Bodies of the victims were returned to their relatives after inquest under Section 174 of CrPC.Meanwhile, Gurpreet Singh, 20, was runover and killed by a truck at Dootkalan road bifurcation on the Hoshiarpur-Garhdiwala road on Friday last, police said. After seeing off his sister board a bus, he was walking across the road when a speeding truck hit him, leading to his death on way to the civil hospital here.Hariana police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving under Section 304-A and 279 of IPC against truck driver Balkar Singh, who was arrested and his vehicle seized.
