75-year-old man run over by truck, accused escapes

Ludhiana: A speeding garbage-lifting truck of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation ran over an elderly man, killing him near Guru Arjun Dev Nagar around Samrala Chowk area on Monday afternoon. Enraged by the man’s death, people nearby vandalised windows of the truck. However, the accused escaped.
A large traffic jam was caused on Ludhiana-Chandigarh road in the wake of the incident. Movement on the road was restored after police removed the vehicle from the spot. The deceased has been identified as Joginder Singh, 75, a resident of Ram Nagar, who owned a filling station in the area.
Onlookers said that at around 12:15pm on Monday, the elderly man was going towards Guru Arjun Dev Nagar on his scooter. The garbage truck was coming from the opposite side of the single lane road, they said, adding that the truck driver took a sharp turn, crushing the man to death. The accused stopped the truck when people raised the alarm. They alleged that they tried to nab the truck driver, who was drunk, but he escaped. People complained that truck drivers tended to drive recklessly on the lane, causing accidents. They also said that police reached the spot half an hour after the incident.
A shopkeeper at the accident spot said that heavy vehicles are not allowed to enter the lane during the day but police and traffic cops do not check the practice. He added that the truck involved in the accident also entered the area during restricted time.
Sub-Inspector Bhajan Singh, additional SHO, division number 7 police station said that a case had been registered under sections 279 (rash driving), 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the IPC.