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Nishant’s father Shambhu Prasad Singh being consoled by relatives on the premises of Patliputra Medical College and Hospital in Dhanbad on Sunday and (top) Abhishek Kumar Sudhanshu. Pictures by Gautam Dey |
A final-year ISM petroleum engineering student died and his classmate seriously injured early on Sunday when a truck collided with their bike on NH-2, about 18km from the district headquarters.
Nishant Singh (21), who had been hit on the head, was declared brought dead at Central Hospital, BCCL in Dhanbad, while Abhishek Kumar Sudhanshu (22), who was injured in his head and right leg is undergoing treatment.
The two friends were returning from Rajganj to Dhanbad when the accident occurred near Thana Kulhi area around 2.30am. As the highway was deserted at that time, the truck driver fled with his vehicle, leaving the boys bleeding on the road.
“A patrol team of our thana was informed about the incident by another truck driver. The team immediately rushed the duo to Central Hospital where one was declared brought dead and the other admitted in ICU,” said Rajganj police station officer-in-charge Umesh Kumar Thakur.
He added that details like who was driving the bike would be known once Abhishek was able to speak.
Nishant’s Ranchi-based parents Shambhu Prasad Singh and Rita Singh reached Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) around 10.15am where the boy’s post-mortem was carried out. “I am completely broken,” father Shambhu Prasad, a manager in the quality control department of CCL in Ranchi, said. Mother Rita was too shocked to utter a word or even weep.
“He was a very soft-spoken boy and stood first in his school, DAV-Shyamali,” said uncle Umesh Prasad Singh, a senior officer in Mecon.
The family lives in Shiv Puri locality of Ratu Road in the capital. Nishant has an elder sister, Manisha, who is married and stays in Bangalore.
Nishant’s friends from Sapphire Hostel of ISM looked equally stunned as they tried to console the parents. The bereaved family left for Ranchi with the body around 2pm.
Abhishek’s Patna-based parents will reach Dhanbad by Sunday evening.
A pall of gloom fellon ISM as the news of the mishap spread. From 5.30am, a host of ISM officials, faculty members and students led by director D.C. Panigrahi, registrar Colonel (retd) M.K. Singh, dean of student welfare Sukumar Laik, chief hostel warden D.D. Pathak, associate dean of students’ welfare Professor Chandan Bhar, security officer Rahul Kumar, associate professors of the department of petroleum engineering Vikas Mahto and Ajay Mandal began camping at Central Hospital.
“Now, our priority is Abhishek’s full recovery,” said Colonel (retd) Singh.
Associate professor of petroleum engineering department Vikas Mahto said they got to know about the accident around 5.15am. “Nishant was a very well-behaved boy. It’s a shock for us all,” he said.
At noon, in another less severe accident near Combined Building Chowk, two autos ran into each other, leaving six persons injured. Three of them — Ram Kumar Verma (45), his wife Madhu (40) and daughter Rita (12) — were admitted to a private hospital in Saraidhela. The rest — passengers Pradip Gope (38) and Satyanarayan Ram (35) and the driver of one auto Mahfooz Alam (27) — were referred to Central Hospital. Eyewitnesses said Mahfooz Alam’s auto (JH 10 V 5860), coming from Saraidhela to the railway station was negotiating a curve, when goods carrier auto (JH 10 Z 1679) collided with it from the opposite side. The injured are out of danger.
How can highway traffic be better monitored?
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