Firozabad Tragedy: Five Killed After Car Hits Villagers, Including Three Sisters

A speeding vehicle hit three small sisters and two others on Sunday night as they were sitting on the roadside to immerse the Tesu-Jhanjhi idols as part of a pre-Diwali ritual in the Firozabad district's road connecting Shikohabad and Bateshwar, killing them and injuring 15 others. But a man who was travelling in the car, said to have been beaten by villagers after the accident, died during treatment on Monday, bringing the casualty count to six, police said.

The victims were part of villagers along the roadside to perform the Tesu-Jhanjhi ritual, a traditional folk festival which takes place ahead of Diwali in parts of Uttar Pradesh including Agra, Mathura, Kanpur, Etawah, Orai and Jhansi. The ritual comprises a symbolic marriage ceremony. When a car, driven from Bateshwar, collided with the group around 9 pm, they were sitting by the roadside – both men and women and children.

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Two young sisters (Akanksha, 17 and Anjali, 15) and their cousin, Dipika, 19, lost their lives at the spot. Harish, 26, a local villager, died while being taken to hospital. Later the same night, the sisters' younger brother, Gunnu, 10, passed away while being treated.

The district magistrate (DM) of Firozabad Santosh Kumar Sharma told reporters that the vehicle involved has been impounded and the driver, as well as the other people in the vehicle, has been arrested. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Firozabad Aditya stated that the police were going about the requisite legal procedure.

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Firozabad police had said 15 people were injured in the accident, and brought to Community Health Centre, Shikohabad where four were declared dead. All severely injured were shifted to SN Medical College and Hospital at Agra.

Enraged villagers broke into the car and broke the four of its occupants, reportedly, damaging the car as well. Police arrived, arrested the men and confiscated the vehicle. The injured passengers were also rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Four men, Ghulfam among them, were admitted and he died in hospital, Firozabad superintendent of police (SP) (Rural) Anuj Chaudhary said on Monday afternoon.

The four residents of Wazirpur locality under Ashok Vihar police station in Delhi were identified as Irfan, 25, Ghulfam, 25, Jagdish, 55 and Ashish alias Jeetu, 32. Their destination was Firozabad where they were heading for a wedding, and they had left the Agra-Lucknow Expressway prior to the crash.

On Monday, three sisters were cremated together, who died in the accident. The other two were also villagers.

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