Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader, friend killed as car plunges into pond in MP’s Katni

A leader of the BJP’s youth wing and his friend were killed as their speeding car hit a stationary auto-rickshaw and plunged into a pond in Madhya Pradesh's Katni district, police said on Sunday.

Two other occupants of the vehicle swam to safety following the accident that occurred in Laxman Sagar pond, about 22 km from the district headquarters, around 11.30 pm on Saturday, an official said.

The speeding car went out of control when Prashant Nayak (28), the Bilhari Mandal president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), was returning home with his friends Vikas Tiwari, Abhishek Chaurasia and Aman Tamrakar, all aged 26, said RP Mishra, station house officer of the Kuthla police station.

He said the car hit an autorickshaw parked along the road and then plunged into the pond.

Nayak and Tiwari remained trapped inside the submerged vehicle and drowned, while Chaurasia and Tamrakar managed to swim to safety, the official said.

He said that before the car plunged into the water, Chaurasia, who was seated in the rear, unlocked his door in time and got out as soon as they landed in the pond, and helped Tamrakar, who was sitting next to him, to come out and swim to safety.

Chaurasia had tried to rescue Nayak and Tiwari, seated in the front, but failed as their doors were locked, the official added.

He said that the car with the two bodies was pulled out around 3 am, and a case has been registered.