Three people were killed and four grievously injured when a speeding Ford rammed into a tent and ran over a group near a Durga Puja pandal in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district on Saturday night, police said.
The villagers were watching a projector screening inside the tent when the car driver allegedly lost control and crashed the vehicle into a wall. The impact was so severe that some people were flung five to six feet, sparking panic and screams at the gathering.
The driver fled after the incident but was arrested and the car was seized within an hour, the police added.
The accident took place around 11pm in Belha gram panchayat under Dehat police station limits, about 10km from the district headquarters.
Circle officer Abhishek Singh said the villagers had put up a screen and were watching videos through a projector when the car, approaching from the Gaura Road side, hit the gathering.
“After the accident, the driver fled with the car. Police teams were deployed, the area was cordoned off and border points sealed. He was arrested with the vehicle within an hour and is being questioned,” Singh said.
A preliminary probe suggested the driver may have been drunk at the time of the accident but a detailed probe is underway, the police said.
Villagers said they organise screenings near the temple every Navratri, to watch films related to Durga Puja and hold devotional programmes.
The deceased were identified as Pateshwari Prasad (42), Manoj Singh (51), and Ganesh Pandey (45). The injured — Chhedi Ram (50), Ghop Ram (31), W (37, as written on the list), and Mukesh Tiwari (30) — were taken to hospital and later referred to a higher medical centre in Bahraich, where they are undergoing treatment.