Three women hailing from Punjab's Mansa died on Thursday, 28 October, morning after they were crushed by a speeding truck, near Bahadurgarh in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, The Indian Express reported.
The women had been participating in the farmer protests at Tikri border.
The truck ran over a divider on which the three women had been sitting, reportedly waiting for an auto-rickshaw. Two of them were killed on the spot while the third succumbed on the way to the hospital.
Waseem Akram, superintendent of police in Jhajjar said, "A tipper, carrying dust, rammed into the group of women farmers. Two of them died on the spot." Later in the morning, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in the matter at the Bahadurgarh police station under sections 279, 304-A, 336, and 337.
Two Women Injured, One Arrest
The driver of the truck reportedly did not stop after the accident, which took place around 6 am on Thursday morning and drove away from the scene.
An individual called Mangal, hailing from Aligarh UP, has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Satnam Singh, a farmer present at the site of the accident, told The Indian Express that two more women protestors had also been injured, one of whom is admitted to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, with serious injuries.
Waseem Akram later stated that the two injured women were reportedly out of danger.
The women who died have been identified as Amarjeet Kaur, Gurmel Kaur and Sukhwinder Kaur. Meanwhile, those injured were identified as another Gurmel Kaur and Harmeet Kaur. They all hailed from Village Khiva Dialu Wala in Mansa district.
The incident took place near the Tikri border where farmers have been protesting for months now against the Centre's farm laws.
Satwant Singh, a member of Bharatiya Kisan Union, Ugrahan, told The Indian Express that it is suspected that the driver of the truck fell asleep at the wheel, causing the accident.
SKM, Rahul Gandhi Condemn the Incident
Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident.
The SKM issued a statement and asked for an impartial investigation. "SKM is deeply saddened at the loss of lives of these brave women protestors. We pray for the early recovery of the injured, and will support them for recovery, stated SKM. SKM also demanded an impartial and thorough investigation into the incident to rule out any foul play."
Rahul Gandhi took to social media and said that the 'annadatas' of the country had been crushed.
“Mother India – annadatas of the country (food providers of the country) – have been crushed. This cruelty and hatred are hollowing out our country. My condolences,” he said in a tweet in Hindi using the hashtag ‘FarmersProtest’.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, too, asked the Haryana police to arrest the accused.
"Heartbreaking news of three women farmers killed and two others injured as truck hits them near Tikri Border in Haryana's Bahadurgarh. I am deeply grieved by this tragic incident. May their souls rest in peace... I also urge Haryana Police to find the accused and put them behind bars," Channi tweeted.
(With inputs from The Indian Express, NDTV)
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