Truck Driver Who Ran Over Indore Pedestrians Was 7 Times More Drunk Than Limit: Cops

The 50-year-old truck driver, who ploughed his heavy vehicle into pedestrians on a busy road in Indore, was nearly seven times more drunk than the permissible limit set for drivers, a police official said on Tuesday.

According to the official, three pedestrians were killed and more than 10 others injured in the horrific accident on Monday night on Aerodrome Road.

The official said the truck driver Gulsher has been arrested and investigations revealed the man, originally from Dhar district, was heavily drunk at the time of the incident.

Additional Police Commissioner Amit Singh said generally the maximum limit of alcohol in the blood of drivers is 0.03 per cent - that is 30 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitre of blood.

However, the truck driver involved in the horrific accident was found to have more than 200 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitre of blood, he informed.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotia said a case has been registered against Gulsher, who was driving an eight-wheeler cargo truck, under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the BNS as well as section 185 (driving under influence of alcohol) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Dandotia said the accused first hit some two and three-wheelers on the busy Aerodrome Road and then he went on hitting every pedestrian and vehicle that came in front of him on the road.

"After the collision, a motorist got stuck under the front wheels of the truck along with his motorcycle and possibly the petrol tank of the two-wheeler burst and caught fire. Despite this, the accused kept on driving the truck. When the truck finally stopped, local residents pulled out the motorbike rider's body from under the wheels of the truck," said the police officer.

Survivors were in shock. One of them, Ashok Gopalani (71), admitted in a private hospital, said, "We were going from Chhota Bangarda to Rajbada by an auto-rickshaw. Our three-wheeler had stopped due to red light at the traffic signal, when the truck hit us from behind and went ahead. Due to this we got stuck in the auto-rickshaw." "My daughter and grandson were taken out by the auto-rickshaw driver with the help of locals by breaking the door and we were taken to hospital," the senior citizen said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced that auto-rickshaw driver Anil Kothari and police constable Pankaj Yadav will be rewarded for showing promptness in saving the life of a two-year-old child and other passers-by.

The Chief Minister visited Indore, where he met the injured persons admitted in different hospitals.

He announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the three deceased.  

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