Minutes before leaving for ‘mundan’, 3-year-old son of Jalandhar dhaba owner run over by speeding SUV

The festivities at the house of a popular dhaba owner in Jalandhar turned into a tragedy as their three-year-old son was run over by a speeding SUV on Monday.

The family was getting ready to take Tripur to a temple for 'mundan' (first hair-cutting ceremony) when the mishap occurred outside their house near Kishanpura Chowk.

Tripur was the only child of Barinder Lucky, the owner of Lucky Dhaba.

Locals witnessed the SUV first crush a dog under its wheels and then run Tripur over.

The driver sped off after the incident.

Somnath, a relative, said, "The boy was standing with me when the vehicle came speeding from the other side. I gestured for the vehicle to stop but the driver sped away, running over the boy. The vehicle turned towards Domoriah Bridge. I chased the vehicle till the Ravidass School, but could not stop it."

Pawan Kumar, the child's uncle, said, "Our nephew was adorable. We were going to offer prayers for his 'mundan'. The speeding vehicle first crushed a dog under its wheels. A commotion ensued and soon it crushed the child.  The family should be given justice."

CCTV footage from the area shows the SUV speeding away on an empty road. The police said its registration number is being traced.

ASI Balkaran Singh from the Rama Mandi police station reached the spot and the body was sent to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem.

Police later rounded up the SUV owner, Himanshu.