Student killed, 10 others injured after being run over by speeding car in Kathua

A 17-year-old girl student was killed and 10 others injured, one of them critically, when a rashly driven car hit a group of students standing outside a school in Barwal Morh on the Jammu-Pathankot highway in Kathua district on Monday.

The deceased student was identified as Bhumika Hans, 17, daughter of Ashok Kumar Hans, a resident of Nihalpur in Kathua.

Kathua SHO inspector Om Prakash Chib said, “A car (PB08CW/8368) on its way from Jalandhar to Jammu hit the children standing on the roadside around 1 pm. As a result, a student died on the spot and 10 others were injured. One of them is critical. The children were the students of DS Heritage School at Barwal Morh.”

The officer informed that the car driver was identified as Raj Kumar, 60, a retired tehsildar of Jalandhar. “The driver claimed that he felt drowsy and lost control over the wheels. We have arrested him and a case under Section 279 and 304-A has been registered against him,” he said.

Eyewitnesses said the car was being driven rashly and at a high speed. The police have also seized the car. Soon after the accident, Kathua deputy magistrate Rahul Pandey and senior police officers rushed to the spot.

The injured students had suffered multiple fractures on legs, arms and internal injuries. The injured students, all aged between 15 and 17 years, have been admitted to the GMC, Kathua.

They injured were identified as Aryan Sharma of Dhanni Bhakta, Pragathi of Budhi, Shagun of Ganyari, Vansh Kumar and Hitesh Kumar of Muthi Jagir, Natesh Kumar of Nihalpur, Raghunandan of Chadwal, Sourab, and Govind.

One student, Amit Logtra of Palli, who suffered critical injuries, was later referred to Pathankot for special treatment. “Extremely pained by the tragic road accident in Kathua. I share the pain of the bereaved family. I pray that children injured in the accident recover at the earliest. Directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance to the affected,” L-G Manoj Sinha wrote on his Twitter handle.