Man on motorcycle killed after his leg gets stuck in rough edges of barricade

Barricades on Chandigarh-Mohali border where Ram Patel was killed on Saturday night. Kamleshwar Singh

A 43-YEAR-OLD man was killed while his friend suffered serious injuries in a road accident at Chandigarh-Mohali border near Geeta Bhwawan in Sector 53 when the victim’s leg got stuck in a barricade and was severed. Police registered a case against an unknown person.
The accident happened around 9.45 on Saturday night when Ram Patel was going to Chandigarah along with his friend Umesh. Both lived at Lakhnour village in Mohali. Ram Patel and Umesh were going to meet a contractor who called them to give them some construction worker. Both Umesh and Ram Patel were construction labourers.

The police officials of Sector 36 told Chandigarh Newsline that Umesh was driving the bike and Ram Patel was riding pillion. When the duo reached near Geeta Bhawan on Chandigarh-Mohali border, a car overtook them. While the car was overtaking the bike, Umesh lost balance and the bike hit the barricade.

“Ram Patel’s leg was stuck in the barricade and it got severed. Umesh fell from the bike. He suffered a fracture in his left leg and also suffered an injury to his knee. After the accident, Ram Patel was rushed to PGIMEP while Umesh was taken to GMCH, Sector 32. Ram Patel was declared dead on Saturday night. The doctors said that Ram Patel died due to excessive bleeding,” said a police officer investigating the case, adding that Patel’s body would be handed over to his family after the post-mortem on Monday.

Speaking to Chandigarh Newsline, Sector 36 Station House Officer Naseeb Singh said that they registered a case against an unidentified car driver under sections 304-A (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 279 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code. He said that they could not trace the car as Umesh could not note the registration number of the vehicle.

The Chandigarh Police has put the barricades near Geeta Bhawan permanently as the spot has become a hot favourite for the protesters coming from Punjab. Lone bread-winner for family

Ram Patel is survived by his four children and wife. They were not at their house at Lakhnor village a Chandigarh Newsline team went there; his wife had gone to one of her relatives’ home from where she would go to PGI to claim the body. Umesh was at his home after the doctors discharged him on Sunday afternoon.

Umesh said that the car which overtook them was being driven at very high speed and due to narrow distance between the barricaded kept at the road, he lost control and Ram Patel’s leg was stuck in the sharp edges of the barricade.

“I did not know when his leg got stuck. I tried to get out of that narrow distance, so I accelerated the speed but then I lost control of my bike and Ram also shouted that his leg was stuck in the barricade, I also fell on the ground. I only remember that some people gathered at the spot and started saying that Ram Patel’s leg got severed,” Umesh said. He said that Ram Patel worked as a labourer and had been without any work for the last two months.

Umesh said, “I was trying to get some work for him. A contractor called me and asked me to meet at Sector 43 bus stand. I took Ram with me so that he could get some work. He has four children aged between 6 and 10. Even on Diwali, I gave some money to him as the family did not have money.”