A tragic road accident on the Lucknow–Kanpur Highway claimed the life of a six-year-old child and left several others injured after a speeding car allegedly driven by a Class 12 student ran over pedestrians and rammed multiple vehicles on Thursday evening. The incident occurred near Hanuman Temple in the Banthra police station area around 7 pm, triggering panic among locals.
Police confirmed that the accused, a resident of Bakshi Ka Talab in Lucknow, has been arrested and the vehicle involved in the accident has been seized. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Nipun Agarwal, four people sustained injuries while young Dikshant Patel succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Accused returning from farewell party
Preliminary investigation revealed that the student was returning from a farewell party and was accompanied by a girl in the car at the time of the incident. Nearly 35 kilometres from Lucknow, the speeding vehicle first collided with a tempo and then went out of control, hitting several people standing along the roadside before fleeing the scene.
Based on the statement of the girl present in the car, police tracked down the vehicle and later arrested the accused. The injured victims were rushed to nearby hospitals, where they are currently undergoing treatment.
CCTV footage captures moment of impact
CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced, showing the car hitting a motorcycle before ploughing into pedestrians and crashing into a tempo and an auto-rickshaw. The impact damaged the front portion of the car and caused chaos in the area as bystanders rushed to rescue the victims.
Among those injured were members of a family from Unnao, including Sadhana Patel (35), her mother Meena Devi (60), and her son Dikshant (6). The accident also injured an e-rickshaw driver, Awadh Bihari (42), and a 12-year-old boy who had come to the market for shopping.
Driver attempted to flee, crowd intervened
Eyewitnesses said locals tried to catch the driver, but he accelerated in an attempt to escape, causing further injuries along the way. The girl accompanying him was stopped by the crowd and handed over to the police. Authorities later detained her for questioning before locating and arresting the accused driver.
The injured victims were initially taken to a private hospital, from where Dikshant Patel was referred to Sarojini Nagar Community Health Centre, where he later died during treatment. The child’s parents reached the hospital soon after receiving the news.
Police have registered a case against the accused and launched a detailed investigation into the incident, including examining CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts to determine the exact sequence of events.
