LUCKNOW:
Lokendra Singh
(41), a two-time
BJP MLA
from
Noorpur constituency
in
Bijnor
district, died in a car crash on the national highway in
Sitapur
district early Wednesday. The MLA was on the way to Lucknow to attend the Investors' Summit along with his personal assistant, two gunners and driver.
The MLA had left his hometown in an SUV in the wee hours and had taken National Highway 24 to attend the event at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Gomtinagar, Lucknow.
Lokendra's driver Sachin Chauhan could not control the Toyota Fortuner while crossing Kamlapur on the highway and rammed into the median. The vehicle, which was being driven at extremely high speed, crossed over to the other side of the carriageway and collided head-on with an incoming truck. Lokendra, his personal assistant Tarun Singh, gunners Brijesh Mishra and Deepak Singh died within few minutes. Police were informed about the accident around 5.45am.
‘Driver fell asleep at the wheels after driving for 5 hours’The SUV bearing registration number UP 21 BS 6666 got badly mangled in the accident due to the intense impact.
The inflated air bags helped driver Sachin Chauhan survive for a while. He was rushed to district hospital in an ambulance while policemen and firefighters struggled to take out bodies from the mangled vehicle.
Sitapur SP Sureshrao Anand Kulkarni said that Sachin succumbed in the evening. “He had lost a lot of blood. His statement was recorded before he died. The truck driver also sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment,” said Kulkarni.
The MLA had borrowed the vehicle from an acquaintance and had left Bijnor around midnight, said police.
“Driver Sachin said in his statement that he fell asleep at the wheels after driving nonstop for more than five hours,” added Kulkarni.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav condoled the death of the MLA.