Nashik, Oct 18 (IANS) Nashik Rural Police’s Sub-Inspector Vijay Bansidhar Gaikwad died, while several others, including police personnel and devotees, were injured after a road accident near Saptashrungi Gad in the Maharashtra district on Sunday, officials said.
According to information provided by the District Information Office, Nashik, police personnel had been deployed at the Nanduri-Abhona T-point to manage traffic and crowds amid a heavy influx of devotees visiting the Saptashrungi Gad temple.
During this time, a Maruti Ciaz car, travelling from the Nashik side, hit a motorcycle rider near a speed breaker, approximately 500 metres before the T-point. Following the collision, the car veered onto the wrong side of the road and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. It then rammed into police barricades placed in the middle of the road, hitting personnel deployed on traffic duty.
Sub-Inspector Gaikwad, 57, sustained serious injuries, including injuries to his chin and both legs, besides a fracture in his spinal column. He succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital.
Police Head Constable Sachin Raut suffered a fracture in his left leg. Devotee Moreshwar Balu Patil, 52, a resident of Mahape in Mumbai, also sustained a fracture in his left leg, while his wife Tejaswi and Gopal Eknath Sonawane suffered minor injuries.
The injured were initially taken to a hospital in Vani and later shifted to Nashik for further treatment. The injured police personnel are undergoing treatment at Magnum Heart Institute in Nashik.
The Superintendent of Police and District Collector visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the injured. Two police teams have been formed to trace the driver responsible for the accident.
Gaikwad, a resident of Nashik’s Adgaon area, was serving with the Nashik Rural Police. The police department is shocked and in a state of mourning over his death. His last rites will be performed in Nashik city.
–IANS
brt/vd
