Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, July 7: A motor cyclist and his pillion rider were killed in a fatal road accident at Ravi bridge while on their way to Madhopur (Punjab) late last night.
The deceased have been identified BSF Jawan, Rakesh Kumar, son of Surinder Kumar of Ward No 16 Kathua and Amit Kumar son of Parshotam also of Ward 16.
According to police Rakesh and Amit were on their way to Madhopur on a motor cycle. While Rakesh had to attend his duty in BSF unit Madhopur, Amit was accompanying him for some domestic work. When they reached middle of Ravi bridge, the area falling under the jurisdiction of Madhopur Police, a Maruti car bearing number JK083-9054 coming from opposite direction hit the motor cycle resulting in the instant death of Rakesh while Amit fell down from the bridge. The movement of vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt on the bridge resulting in a huge jam on the road.
However the Madhopur Police did not take any cognizance of the accident.
Later a police party of Lakhanpur Police Station rushed to the spot and utilized a crane for lifting the car from the bridge. The police also shifted Rakesh to District Hospital Kathua where doctors declared him brought dead.
However in the darkness no body knew about the pillion rider and when in the morning the family members of Amit came to know about the death of Rakesh they enquired about the Amit who too had left for Madhopur along with Rakesh. The police launched a search near the bridge and located his body on river bed at Madhopur. The body was shifted to Hospital for postmortem. Later both the bodies were handed over to the families for cremation after postmortem.
The Police also informed the BSF unit at Madhopur about the accident and later the Commandant of the Unit with other officers joined the cremation of Rakesh at Kathua.
The Lakhanpur Police has registered a case and arrested the Maruti driver who has been identified as Chetan Verma, son of Bodh Raj of Ward No 6 Kathua.
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