Ludhiana: Three members of a Machhiwara-based family were killed and two others suffered critical injuries after the SUV they were travelling in collided head-on with a canter truck near Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday morning, while they were on their way back to Punjab.The deceased included 65-year-old Santokh Singh Bajwa, a commission agent (arhtiya) and sheller unit owner from Irak village near Machhiwara; Harjeet Singh, 60, of Hadiwal village; and Bhupinder Kaur. The injured, Mukand Singh Bainipal and his nephew Ladi Singh, are undergoing treatment.Sources said Bainipal owns agricultural land in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, and has business interests in Machhiwara. His relatives Santokh Singh Bajwa and Harjeet Singh travelled to Uttar Pradesh to visit him.The accident took place at around 7:30am on an under-construction stretch of a highway near Bareilly. Santokh Singh Bajwa, Harjeet Singh and Bhupinder Kaur were killed on the spot while Bainipal and Ladi Singh were rushed to a nearby hospital.Sources in Machhiwara said the bodies will be brought to the area after postmortem for last rites. News of the accident left Machhiwara and nearby villages. Machhiwara Sachha Sauda Arhtiya Association and the Sheller Association expressed grief over the tragedy.
