Two people, including a 17-year-old, died in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda today after a Toyota Fortuner SUV hit a bike. The SUV belongs to the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh, BJP candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and son of six-time MP and former wrestling boss Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh made national headlines last after the country's top wrestlers accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers. A Delhi court recently framed charges in the case against him. The allegations are believed to have cost him a poll ticket this time. The BJP instead fielded his son Karan, also a wrestling administrator. His other son, Pratik Bhushan Singh, is MLA from Gonda seat.
Visuals from the accident site show the SUV with "police escort" written on the rear windscreen, suggesting it is part of a VIP convoy. The car's number is UP32HW1800 and it is said to be registered in the name of Nandini Nagar educational institute run by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's family.
According to the FIR, the complainant Chanda Begum has said that around 9 am today, her 17-year-old son Rehan and 24-year-old nephew Shahzad were out on a bike to buy medicines when the speeding SUV coming from the opposite side hit the two-wheeler. Both died on the spot. A 60-year-old woman, identified as Sita Devi, was injured and has been hospitalised. A huge crowd gathered at the site after the accident, as family members of the victims demanded justice.
Police have arrested the driver and seized the SUV. There is no confirmation yet on whether Karan Bhushan Singh was travelling with the cavalcade at the time of the accident. Senior police officer Radheysham Rai said the bodies of the victims have been sent for autopsy and further probe is on.
The car, with the number UP32HW1800, is said to be registered in the name of Nandini Nagar educational institure run by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's family.
Farman Khan, a relative of the victims, said there was blood on the road when they reached the spot and the youngsters had been taken to hospital. "Local residents told us Karan Bhushan Singh's convoy of 4-5 cars was passing through and the Fortuner hit the bike. When we went to the hospital, doctors told us our children are dead. Please get us justice. We cannot think," he said.