Nine Killed as Speeding Car Hits MGNREGA Workers in Punjab's Sangrur

Nine people were killed on Sunday when a speeding car rammed a group of MGNREGA labourers who were sitting by the roadside drinking water near Alisher village in Punjab's Sangrur district, police said. Inspector Jaskaran Singh, the station house officer at Lehragaga police station, told the ANI news agency that nine people had lost their lives in the accident. Dr Vinod Kumar, the senior medical officer in Sangrur, said the incident took place at about 3:30 p.m. on the Lehragaga-Jakhal road.

Workers on a water break

The labourers were working on a road project under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the rural jobs scheme known as MGNREGA. Reports put the group at 23 workers. The Times of India reported that a sedan travelling from Jakhal first struck a motorcyclist parked along the road and then hit the workers while they were taking a water break. Five workers died on the spot and three others died in hospital, the paper said. One injured worker told ANI: "We were sitting on the road and drinking water."

Reports through the afternoon put the death toll at eight, and named the eight dead as residents of Alisher village: Karamjit Kaur, Jeevan Singh, Nikki, Sarabjit Kaur, Ranjit Begum, Karamjit, Rani Kaur and Desraj. The station house officer later put the toll at nine. Twelve other workers were injured, and The Times of India said the injured were admitted to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.

Driver fled, car identified

India Today reported that the car was a Chevrolet Magnum, driven by Pargat Singh Kala, a resident of Raidhrana. The Times of India reported that people travelling in the car were apprehended at the scene but that the driver fled. Police registered a first information report, and reports said raids were under way to arrest the driver. Police officer Palwinder Singh Cheema assured local protesters that strict legal action would be taken for rash and negligent driving.

Protests and compensation

Residents blocked the Lehragaga-Jakhal road after the crash. Witnesses alleged that ambulances took a long time to reach the scene, an allegation officials had not confirmed on Sunday evening. Punjab cabinet minister Barinder Kumar Goyal expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on X that the government stood with the affected families. He announced compensation of 200,000 rupees for the family of each person killed and said the government would cover the full cost of treatment for the injured. Sangrur deputy commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said the district administration would provide medical aid and all possible assistance to the victims and their families. Police said the investigation into the crash was still under way on Sunday evening.