A man travelling in the car, who was allegedly beaten by villagers following the accident, died during treatment on Monday, taking the death toll to six, police said. Five people, including three minor sisters, were killed and 15 injured after a speeding car ploughed into villagers seated on the roadside while preparing to immerse Tesu-Jhanjhi idols as part of a pre-Diwali ritual on the Shikohabad-Bateshwar road in Firozabad district on Sunday night.
The victims were among villagers from Chatanpur who had gathered along the roadside for the Tesu-Jhanjhi ritual, a traditional folk festival observed before Diwali in parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Agra, Mathura, Kanpur, Etawah, Orai and Jhansi. The ritual involves a symbolic marriage ceremony. Speaking to reporters, Firozabad district magistrate (DM) Santosh Kumar Sharma stated that the vehicle involved has been seized, and the driver, along with the other occupants, has been taken into custody. The seriously injured were referred to SN Medical College and Hospital in Agra. Angry villagers chased the car, damaged it and allegedly thrashed its four occupants. Police reached the spot, took the men into custody and seized the vehicle. The injured occupants were also admitted to the hospital for treatment. The other two victims were also residents of the same village.
The group included men, women and children seated beside the road when a car coming from Bateshwar hit them around 9 pm. 15 people were injured in the accident and taken to the Community Health Centre in Shikohabad, where four were declared dead, according to Firozabad police. The four occupants were identified as Irfan, 25, Ghulfam, 25, Jagdish, 55, and Ashish alias Jeetu, 32, residents of Wazirpur locality under Ashok Vihar police station in Delhi.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Firozabad Aditya Langhe said police were completing the necessary legal formalities.
They were travelling to Firozabad to attend a wedding and had exited the Agra-Lucknow Expressway before the accident. On Monday afternoon, Firozabad superintendent of police (SP) (Rural) Anuj Chaudhary said one of the four men, identified as Ghulfam, died during treatment, taking the death toll to six. Three sisters killed in the accident were cremated together on Monday.
