Uttar Pradesh: 6 dead as truck runs over people sleeping on roadside in Chitrakoot

JHANSI: Six people died while two were critically injured when a speeding pickup truck ran over a group of people sleeping on the roadside outside their house in Roli Kallyanpur village of Chitrakoot district early Saturday morning.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolences and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
He has also instructed the local authorities to ensure proper medical care of the injured.
According to police, a few guests had come to one of the houses of the village that falls under Bharatkoop police station area to attend a marriage ceremony and were sleeping on the roadside in the open.
At around 6am, a speeding pickup mini truck, being driven by an 18-year-old lad, came from the Banda side and ran over sleeping people before ramming into a tree.
Five out of the six people died on the spot while the sixth succumbed to injuries in hospital during treatment. Police rushed to the spot along with DM Chitrakoot Shubhrant Kumar Shukla and SP, Atul Verma. The injured were sent to hospital. The bodies were sent for post-mortem while the vehicle was seized and the driver arrested.
The deceased have been identified as Rajendra 31, Somdutt 25, Naresh Kumar 35, Ramroop 25, Rohit 19 and Bhanu 22.
Angry villagers later staged a protest on the highway demanding compensation after the accident. They were later pacified by the officials.
DM Chitrakoot said that apart from the compensation, the victims would also be given benefits under various government schemes, including insurance.