LUCKNOW: An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) deputy inspector general and his driver were killed in a road accident on the Dehradun-Panchkula National Highway in Saharanpur district on Saturday morning.
According to the Sarsawa police, the SUV carrying DIG Parminder Singh lost control, hit the divider and entered the opposite carriageway before colliding head-on with a Swift Dzire travelling towards Haridwar.
Singh had recently completed a training programme in Mussoorie and was travelling to Ambala. His driver Ravi Shankar and gunner Jairam were also in the vehicle.
The impact badly damaged both vehicles and trapped the occupants inside. Police and local residents rescued the injured and shifted them to a nearby hospital.
Saharanpur Government Medical College Emergency Medical Officer Dr Nitin Jain said DIG Parminder Singh and his driver Ravi Shankar were declared dead on arrival. Gunner Jairam suffered a hand injury and was undergoing treatment.
The occupants of the Swift Dzire, identified as Gurunanak Singh, 49, Devendra Kaur, 55, and Gurnam Singh, 55, were also injured. Police said one of them was in critical condition.
Saharanpur SP Shailendra Srivastava said a preliminary investigation indicated that the SUV lost control before crossing the divider and entering the opposite lane.
"The police reached the spot immediately after receiving information about the accident and shifted the injured to hospital. The DIG and his driver died in the accident, while one person in the Swift Dzire sustained critical injuries. Treatment of all the injured is underway," the SP said.
Police sent the bodies of DIG Parminder Singh and Ravi Shankar for post-mortem examination.