Ludhiana: The 8.30-am express to Bihar left without its youngest passenger on Friday. A Class XI student has become the latest victim of this city’s treacherous morning traffic after a speeding tanker ended a 15-year resident’s joy of hosting his daughter for the holidays.Rashmi was supposed to be heading home to Bihar with memories of Holi; instead, her journey ended at Mata Rani Chowk. The 17-year-old student travelling to the Ludhiana railway station was killed when a speeding tanker rear-ended her father’s scooter, just 90 minutes before her train was set to depart. Her death marks a grim start to the weekend as local police hunt for the hit-and-run tanker driver who fled the scene of a father’s worst nightmare.
The girl had been visiting her father, Mithlesh, for the Holi holidays. Mithlesh, who has worked in Ludhiana for 15 years, was taking her to board a train back to their home village in Nalanda at about 7am when the fatal accident occurred while they were navigating the Mata Rani Chowk. The heavy tanker was reportedly at high speed. While Mithlesh escaped with minor injuries, Rashmi bore the brunt of the impact and was left in critical condition.In a desperate rescue attempt, a nearby e-rickshaw driver moved the father and daughter to a local hospital. However, Rashmi succumbed to her injuries before they could reach medical assistance. Following the collision, the tanker driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. Police from Division Number 1 have since impounded the tanker and are using its registration details to track down the driver.Assistant sub-inspector Balraj, the investigating officer, said: “We are currently recording statements from the family to formalise the first-information report (FIR). The vehicle is in our pound, and we are working to identify the individual behind the wheel at the time of the crash.”
