Gurgaon: Two police personnel rushing to respond to a snatching call died and another was critically injured after their emergency response vehicle (ERV) crashed into a water tanker that had broken away from a moving tractor and was left stranded in the middle of the Farrukhnagar-Khera Khurampur road shortly after midnight on Tuesday. The impact was so severe that the police vehicle was mangled beyond recognition, trapping all three cops inside.The two cops who died were head constable Anil Kumar (47), posted at Farukhnagar police station, and special police officer (SPO) Chhote Lal (53). Constable Dharmendra sustained grievous injuries and is undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital.Police said ERV-254 was heading to attend a snatching complaint when the accident occurred. Preliminary findings suggested the tractor and water tanker were not properly coupled. As the tractor moved, the coupling allegedly failed, causing the tanker to detach and remain on the carriageway while the tractor veered towards the unmetalled roadside and eventually overturned.“The coupling appears to have snapped while the tractor was moving. The tanker remained on the road directly in the path of the approaching ERV, which rammed into it head-on. The collision was so severe that all airbags of the ERV (an Innova) were deployed,” a police officer said.An FIR, lodged on the complaint of Anil Kumar’s elder brother Ramkishan, alleged that the tanker had no rear lights, indicators or reflectors, making it virtually invisible on the dark stretch. He held the tractor driver responsible for negligence.The force of the collision inflicted fatal head injuries on Anil Kumar and Chhote Lal, while Dharmendra suffered multiple wounds. Passersby and police personnel who reached the spot struggled to rescue the trapped cops from the twisted wreckage. Rescuers had to cut through parts of the vehicle before shifting the injured to Civil Hospital in Sector 10.Ramkishan said he rushed to the spot after learning that his brother’s ERV had met with an accident while on duty. By the time he reached, the injured policemen had already been taken to hospital. Doctors later declared Anil Kumar and Chhote Lal dead, while Dharmendra was referred to Medanta.Police said another ERV unit alerted them about the accident. The scene was documented and evidence collected. Dharmendra’s statement could not be recorded as doctors declared him medically unfit.Blood stains were found inside the ERV, while a liquor bottle was recovered from near the accident site. Police said it is yet to be established whether the bottle belonged to the tractor driver, the cops or was already lying there.Based on the complaint and preliminary findings, an FIR was registered at Farrukhnagar police station under sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 125 (act endangering human life through negligence), 281 (rash driving) and 324(4) (mischief) of the BNS against the unidentified tractor driver, who fled the spot.Anil, a resident of Gokalgarh village in Rewari, joined Haryana Police as a constable in 2007 and was later promoted to head constable. He is survived by his wife, two sons aged 24 and 22, and his elderly parents. Chhote Lal, a resident of Mahendragarh, retired from BSF in 2019 before joining the police around seven years ago.Senior officers, including joint commissioner of police Sangeeta Kalia and DCP (headquarters) Anshu Singla, met the bereaved families at the mortuary and assured them of all possible assistance. After the autopsies, the bodies were handed over to the families for the last rites, with cops accompanying them to their native villages.
