Two of the injured have sustained fractures, the block medical officer told ANI
One person has died and around 20 have been injured after a car ran over a group of people - devotees walking to immerse an idol of Goddess Durga - in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district.
The one person who died has been identified as Gaurav Aggarwal, 21, a resident of Pathalgaon in Jashpur. The injured have been admitted to the Pathalgaon Civil Hospital for treatment. Block Medical Officer James Minj said two of the injured were being referred to other hospitals with fractures.
The car - a maroon Mahindra Xylo - had a Madhya Pradesh number plate and sped away after the horrific accident, driving towards nearby Sukhrapara.
However, furious locals raced after the vehicle and found it abandoned and in flames by the side of the road. It was in the ditch with the driver-side door open, and rear windshields and windows broken.
According to the office of the district's Superintendent of Police, two accused have been arrested and charged. The first is 21-year-old Bablu Vishwakarma and the second is 26-year-old Shishupal Sahu. Both are residents of Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli district, and were passing through Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed his sorrow.
"The Jashpur incident is very sad and heartbreaking. The culprits were immediately arrested. Prima facie action has also been taken against the police who appeared guilty. An inquiry has been ordered. No one will be spared. Justice will be done to all. May God rest the soul of the departed," he said.
"I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," he added.
घायलों के शीघ्र स्वास्थ्य लाभ की प्रार्थना करता हूँ.
— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) October 15, 2021
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has demanded Rs 50 lakh compensation to the family of the person who was killed and the immediate removal of the Jashpur Police Superintendent.
Earlier this month a convoy of vehicles, including one owned by Union Minister Ajay Mishra and allegedly driven by his son, Ashish, mowed down five people in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri.
Four were farmers; the fifth was a journalist.
The convoy ran over a group of people who were holding a peaceful protest against the minister's visit. Three others, including two BJP workers, died in the violence that followed.
Ashish Mishra was arrested last week - after spending nearly seven days as a free man despite being named in the FIR (first information report). He has been denied bail by a local court. He has claimed he was in his paternal village, two km away, when the murders took place.
With input from ANI
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