Four cops, one undertrial killed as police van rams into canter truck in UP's Aligarh

Aligarh (UP), May 8 (PTI) Five people, including four police personnel and an undertrial prisoner, were killed early Thursday when a police van crashed into a stationary canter truck along a highway in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district, officials said.

According to Circle Officer Sanjiv Tomar, a police team from Firozabad was transporting the undertrial to Bulandshahr when the crash occurred near Chikawati village under the Lodha police station limits.

The impact of the collision was so severe that four of the van's occupants, including the undertrial, were declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, while one police officer succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Tomar said.

The deceased have been identified as sub-inspector Ram Shivjiwan, constable Balbir Singh, head constable Raghuwir, driver Chandrapal, and Gulshan, the undertrial prisoner. Another constable, Sherpal Singh, sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment, the officer said.

The incident occurred around dawn when the police van rammed into the rear of a heavy-duty canter parked on the roadside.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the visibility may have been low, though the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.

In a brief statement posted on X, Aligarh Police said, "Following an accident between a police vehicle on undertrial duty and a canter truck near Lodha, local police immediately arrived (at the scene) for rescue.

"The accident resulted in the deaths of one undertrial and four police personnel. Their bodies have been sent for postmortem. One injured police constable has been admitted to hospital." PTI COR KIS ARI