A tragic late-night road accident unfolded in the Basti area of Jalandhar that has left a family shattered after a speeding Fortuner allegedly driven under the influence of alcohol rammed into an e-rickshaw, killing a grandmother and her 10-year-old granddaughter.
The incident occurred around midnight near MS Farm on Basti Peerdaad Road, close to Sher Singh Colony.
According to information from the victim’s family, the three were returning home after buying vegetables from the market. The e-rickshaw was being driven by a family member when the SUV, reportedly moving at high speed, crashed into the vehicle from behind. The impact of the collision threw the passengers onto the road.
A woman named Sheetal Sharma, aged fifty-two, lost her life alongside her ten-year-old granddaughter Mahi in an incident near Paras Estate. Witnesses who saw what happened said the driver seemed impaired and made an attempt to leave right after colliding with them. While trying to escape, the car reportedly drove over both individuals while they were on the ground. The child’s lower limbs were badly damaged during the event; fatal trauma followed for both due to force involved. A relative from the same household also received significant harm under similar circumstances.
A crowd formed fast after locals saw what happened, then ran after the driver. Caught shortly afterward, he went straight into police custody. While officers tried to hold him, footage showed him pulling at one officer's clothes, acting aggressively - possibly due to drinking. That moment appeared in a recording, later spreading through various channels.
Later that evening, the suspect arrived at Basti Bawa Khel Police Station under custody. Word spread fast when relatives of the injured person started questioning why authorities had postponed checking the driver’s condition - a key step in determining alcohol involvement during the crash - sparking unease within nearby homes.
Hours ticked by with no sign of the medical check. Relatives simmered. Residents joined them. By 3 a.m., crowds had formed near the police outpost. A demonstration erupted - no slogans, just insistence on testing the suspect quickly and enforcing penalties. Inside, officers shut the front gate tight. Their reason came later: containment. Not aggression. Merely control before things spun beyond handling.
Later that night, once shouts grew louder and tension climbed, they moved the suspect to a clinic for checks. Outrage spread fast through the neighborhood when the mourning relatives claimed officials first attempted to protect the person charged.
A police statement verified the arrest of the Fortuner's driver; authorities filed charges soon after. With probes still active, review continues on both crash details and claims tied to postponed health checks.
