A pandal erected in Jamshedpur for Sunday’s wedding reception that has been postponed. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Dhanbad/Jamshedpur, April 19: What was supposed to be the happiest occasion for a groom and his family turned tragic when a speeding truck mowed down eight members of the baraat in Dhanbad last night, the sound of the approaching wheels drowned by the music being played by the band party.

The 10.40pm accident took place on GT Road (NH-2) in Nirsa, about 35km from Dhanbad district headquarters, when the marriage procession of Jamshedpur-based Anup Singh was about half a kilometre from the bride’s house at Mandman colliery colony.

According to Nirsa officer-in-charge Ram Pravesh Kumar, the dead included Anup’s father Madvan Singh (55), a Tata Motors employee residing on Sabarmati Road in New Baridih, Jamshedpur, and brother-in-law Jaiprakash Singh (35).

“Of the other six who died, Raghav Singh (53), Rakesh Kumar Choubey (50), Chottu Singh (28) and Subodh Kumar (30) were related to the family, while Bittu Kumar (25) was a videographer from Jamshedpur and Rajiv Bauri was a member of the band party,” he added.

Six persons were injured and were taken to Dhanbad’s Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). They were released after treatment.

The marriage of Anup, who works at Tata Steel’s CRM unit, had been fixed with Sweta Singh, daughter of Manoj Singh, a relative of CPI-ML leader Arun Singh, in Dhanbad. The wedding was scheduled at Mandman colliery colony for Thursday and the groom’s relatives reached Nirsa from Jamshedpur by 8.30pm.

After resting for a while at Aarti Hotel, around 100 baraatis set out for the bride’s home on foot while Anup was in a car. The family members were having a blast, dancing and making merry, when the coal-laden speeding truck, which was trying to overtake a bus, came from behind and hit several persons. While four persons died on the spot, the rest were rushed to PMCH.

Later, four more succumbed to their injuries.

Some members of the baraat and local residents chased down the truck that had earlier knocked down a biker near Nirsa Bazar.

But the driver and cleaner escaped, leaving the vehicle around 300 metres from the mishap spot. The mob vent its ire on the truck and even tried to set it on fire, but was prevented by the police who had arrived at the spot by then.

The angry crowd then blocked NH-2 till around 12.30pm. The blockade was lifted only after Nirsa MLA Arup Chatterjee arrived at the spot and soothed the frayed nerves.

Dhanbad MP P.N. Singh also dropped in.

Sanjay Singh, who was a part of the marriage procession, said none of them realised that a truck was hurtling down towards them because of the loud music being played by the band accompanying the baraat. “We could not hear the truck approaching in high speed and several of our relative and friends came under its wheels,” he rued.

Singh added the marriage rituals were completed in a hurry in the presence of only a few family members from both sides. “Most of us were busy taking the injured and dead to the hospital. Only the bridegroom and a few relatives completed the rituals in a hurry and immediately rushed to the hospital,” he added.

The reception, which was scheduled to be held at New Baridih on Sunday, has been postponed.

OC Kumar confirmed the truck was speeding.

“We have seized the truck, which was going to Delhi from Calcutta. We will try to trace the owner after completing post-mortem formalities,” he added.