KANPUR: Five medical staff members from Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences (UPUMS), Saifai, Etawah, lost their lives in a horrific road accident on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway near Sikrori village in Kannauj during the early hours of Wednesday. Another junior resident doctor was critically injured.
The accident occurred when their SUV, returning from a colleague’s wedding celebration in Lucknow, lost control, crashed into a divider, and veered into the opposite lane, colliding with a truck.
Details of the Incident
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dr. Priyanka Chaturvedi, reported that the crash occurred at the 196-kilometre marker within Tirwa police station limits. The SUV was traveling from Lucknow to Agra when the collision took place. Emergency responders transported all six occupants to Government Medical College, Tirwa, where five were declared dead on arrival.
Victims and Injured
The deceased include:
- Aniruddh Verma (29) from Agra
- Arun Kumar (32) from Kannauj
- Nardev Gangwar (35) from Bareilly
- Santosh Kumar Maurya (30) from Sant Ravi Das Nagar (Lab Technician)
- Rakesh Kumar (38) from Bijnor (Storekeeper)
The critically injured, Jaiveer Singh, has been shifted to Saifai Medical University for further treatment.
Condolences and Investigations
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences and instructed officials to evaluate the circumstances of the crash. Authorities have initiated legal proceedings and transferred the bodies to the mortuary.
The tragic loss has left the Saifai Medical University community in profound grief, as the victims were valued staff members.
Samajwadi Party President’s Reaction
Akhilesh Yadav, National President of the Samajwadi Party, paid tribute to the deceased doctors, describing their loss as a severe tragedy. He criticized the state government for alleged negligence in maintaining the expressway, raising concerns about:
- Insufficient highway policing and monitoring.
- Ineffective use of CCTV for accident prevention.
- Lack of measures to control stray animals causing accidents.
- Outsourcing toll collection without accountability.
Yadav accused the BJP government of neglecting the expressway’s safety, transforming it into a revenue-generating tool rather than ensuring safe travel. He urged immediate action to prevent further loss of life on the expressway.
This devastating incident has reignited concerns about road safety and effective management of the Agra-Lucknow Expressway.
