Jalandhar, July 21
Tension engulfed the Buta Mandi area of this city as a tractor-trailer, which hit and trampled a 30-year-old woman and her two month old daughter to death, was set ablaze by hundreds of irked residents of the area. They also allegedly tried to kill the driver of the vehicle, who was arrested on the spot, by putting a burning tyre around his neck.
Veena Rani, 30, a resident of Buta Pind area, was married to Madan Lal. They had got a baby girl Manisha after four male issues.
Veena Rani, had gone to a nearby hospital for vaccination of her daughter Manisha, when a tractor-trailer, driven by Swarna Ram, a resident of Wadala Colony, coming from the Guru Ravidas Chowk, hit the mother-daughter duo near the Buta Mandi’s old pond. It also dragged them along with it for some distance, resulting in their death on the spot.
As soon as the news of death of Veena and Manisha spread, a large number of residents of the area converged on the spot and caught Swarna Ram. They thrashed him soundly, before setting the tractor-trailer on fire. The mob, which also blocked traffic on the Jalandhar-Nakodar road, did not allow fire brigade vehicles to reach the spot for putting out fire. Police officials, led by DSP Charanjit Singh, had a tough time in controlling the mob. The police had to divert the traffic through Kala Sanghian village.
Some fuming youngsters also reportedly tried to put a burning tyre around the neck of the driver, who, was, however, saved by some PCR officials.
Interestingly, a police official even reportedly pleaded before some newsmen to not to show the accused as arrested from the spot as this “could put the driver in more trouble from legal point of view.” Another PCR official was seemingly in an inebriated condition.
A sobbing Madan Lal said that he had asked Veena stay in the dispensary for another 10 minutes, but, Veena declined his request and said she had to rush home for washing some clothes. “This incident has shattered us. I have four sons and the entire family had prayed a lot for getting blessed with a baby girl. He had blessed us with one, but, the little one was snatched from us in a
cruel manner,” said Madan Lal.
