LUCKNOW: Moti Lal Singh, 65, who was serving as Officer on Special Duty at UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath’s camp office in Gorakhpur, died in Basti while on way to Lucknow from Gorakhpur late on Friday night.
Singh, a retired PCS officer, was accompanied by his wife Veena Singh when his SUV driver Santosh Gupta lost control over the vehicle and rammed it into a tree while trying to save a nilgai, police sources said.
Veena was seriously injured and referred to BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur. Gupta was discharged after first-aid.
Yogi condoled Singh’s death and directed officials to ensure proper medical attention to Veena.
The vehicle fell into a ditch, leaving the couple and the driver injured, police said.
They were rushed to Guru Gorakshnath Hospital in Gorakhpur, where Motilal died in the early hours of Friday.
Veena and the driver are undergoing treatment at BRD Medical College, police said.
According to Gorakhnath temple official Vinay Gautam, Singh was a native of Budanpur village in the Azamgarh district.
He used to work at the chief minister's camp office and was considered close to him.
Motilal was the additional municipal commissioner in Gorakhpur municipal corporation.
Taking cognisance of his capabilities and experience, the chief minister had given him the responsibility of the camp office in 2017, Gautam said.
"He used to listen to people's problems patiently and work towards addressing them," he said.
Adityanath took to Twitter to express his condolences on Singh's death.
(With PTI Inputs)