The incident happened on Sunday night when a speeding pickup van driven by Sonu Kumar rammed into a group of 11 people standing near the Panchayat Bhawan in Dhakwa village, Purnea district. The vehicle initially hit a child, leading to a dispute between Sonu and the villagers.

Following the argument, Sonu allegedly drove his vehicle in a drunken and enraged state, deliberately running over the people.

The injured were rushed to a hospital where five persons lost their lives during treatment. They have been identified as Jyotish Thakur, 50, Sanyukta Devi, 45, Amardeep, 6, Akhilesh,11, and Manisha,11.

Six others, including Rajesh Muni, Abhinandan Muni, Shalu Kumar, Poonam Devi, Twinkle Kumari, and Nikki Devi, received severe injuries. Two remain in critical condition at Purnea Medical College Hospital.

The injured were initially taken to Dhamdaha Sub-divisional Hospital but were later referred to Purnea Medical College Hospital due to their critical conditions. A case has been registered against Sonu Kumar based on the written complaint from the villagers. Police are conducting raids to arrest Sonu, who fled the scene.

Preliminary investigation suggests Sonu was intoxicated at the time of the incident and was driving at a fast speed. Residents have accused Sonu of intentionally targeting the group due to the earlier dispute.

The police officials sent the bodies of the deceased for post-mortem examinations on Monday morning.

Ranjan Kumar, the in-charge of the Dhamdaha Police Station, said, “On the written application of the local people, we have registered an FIR under relevant sections of rash and negligent driving against Sonu Kumar. We are continuously raiding to arrest Sonu Kumar. He has fled from the village. Information has been received that the accused has committed such a big incident over a small dispute. A complaint has been received that he was in a state of intoxication.”

Courtesy Media Group: IANS