Magisterial Probe Ordered in Faridabad Underpass Drowning

Faridabad ( Haryana ): A magisterial probe has been initiated into the case of two bank employees who died after getting trapped in their sports utility vehicle in the flooded Old Faridabad Railway underpass here, an official said on Monday.

"This was a very big accident. A report is being prepared on this matter. Legal action will definitely be taken if negligence comes to light. It will also ensure that such an accident does not happen again", said Kuldeep Singh, DCP NIT.

The incident occurred late Friday night when the victims, Punyashray Sharma (48) and Viraj (26), were returning home in Greater Faridabad from Gurugram, police said earlier.

According to police, due to the rainfall throughout Friday, the underpass was inundated and as a precaution, cars were being warned against entering it.

They said that around 11:50 pm, an XUV 700 entered the underpass, ignoring all warnings and got stuck in the deep floodwater, following which water gushed into the vehicle.

"A barricade was put up at the entrance of the underpass since it was waterlogged. The occupants of the SUV were told by police officers to take a different route," police sub-inspector Rajesh Kumar earlier told PTI Videos.

"But they removed the barricade and attempted to go through the underpass. The car's doors got locked as it got stuck in the water and the duo died by drowning," he said The passersby attempted to help the duo stuck in the car and after a lot of effort, managed to get them out. However, Viraj died on the spot, a police official said, adding Sharma was taken to the Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Vikram Singh, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Faridabad told PTI that he has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter on the direction of Haryana Chief Secretary. The probe has been handed over to Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Anand Sharma, who has started the investigation.

Based on the complaint filed by Viraj's brother, the police have also initiated an investigation into the matter.

A colleague of the two deceased said Viraj and Sharma left the bank at night. "Viraj was driving. He was new in Delhi-NCR and maybe he didn't know that the route was waterlogged," Arjun Singh, the colleague, told PTI Videos.