Patna: A sub-inspector posted in Siwan district and an undertrial prisoner died in a road accident on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district on Tuesday morning.
The accident took place near Nimbakheda when a sleeper bus carrying around 45 passengers overturned after hitting a divider. Three Bihar Police personnel accompanying the prisoner were also injured and admitted to hospital.
According to officials, the police team was returning to Bihar after producing the prisoner before a court in Gurugram.
Bus overturned after hitting divider
Police said the rear portion of the double-decker sleeper bus, collided with a concrete divider near an underpass at around 6am.
The vehicle then reportedly skidded towards the left, broke through an aluminium barrier and overturned into the heavy vehicle lane.
Local police reached the spot within minutes and began rescue operations. The injured were shifted to a community health centre, where sub-inspector Ramchandra Ram and the prisoner were declared dead.
Victims identified
The deceased police officer was was posted at the Siwan police lines.
The prisoner was identified as Chhatrapal Singh Tomar, a resident of Haryana. He was lodged in Siwan divisional jail and was being brought back after a court appearance in Gurugram.
Officials said Chhatrapal was an accused in the 2023 murder case of district council member Vicky Pathak in Siwan’s Mahadeva area.
Other fatalities in the accident included passengers from Uttar Pradesh and one unidentified individual.
Police department mourns officer’s death
The death of the sub-inspector has led to mourning within the Siwan police department. Colleagues described Ramchandra Ram as a dedicated officer.
Siwan superintendent of police Puran Kumar Jha confirmed the deaths and said the injured personnel were receiving treatment in coordination with the Unnao district administration.
“The police team was returning by bus after producing a divisional jail prisoner before the Gurugram court. During the journey, sub-inspector Ramchandra Ram and the prisoner died in the accident, while other police personnel were injured,” Jha said.
Chief minister expresses condolences
Chief minister Samrat Choudhary expressed grief over the accident in a post on X.
He offered condolences to the families of those who died and described the incident as tragic.
