In a harrowing incident that has jolted the conscience of the nation, six young lives were lost in a tragic car accident near ONGC Chowk in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, during the early hours of November 12. The accident, which occurred around 1:30 am, involved a Toyota Innova colliding with a truck, leaving the vehicle mangled and its occupants fatally injured.
The deceased, aged between 19 and 25, have been identified as Kunal Kukreja (23), Atul Agrawal (24), Rishabh Jain (24), Navya Goel (23), Kamakshi (20), and Guneet (19). The sole survivor, Siddhesh Agrawal (25), is currently in critical condition and remains on a ventilator in the ICU.
The victims were reportedly returning from a party, with a viral video claiming that the group was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
In an interview with Aaj Tak, Vipin Agarwal, the father of the sole survivor Siddhesh, recalled his last conversation with his son, who mentioned he was on his way home. However, around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, just 30 minutes after the accident, Agarwal received a call from the police.
"I received a phone call at around 2 a.m. I was in Hathras. I was going to Jaipur to attend a wedding. After receiving the phone call, I immediately returned and arrived at around 7 a.m. Since then Siddhesh is in the ICU. He hasn't said a word. We can only see his body," Agarwal said.
"I appeal to the media and people, we have lost six children. Families of all six are in such deep distress that we cannot overcome it. My son is in the ICU now and he is on a ventilator. I appeal to the media to show empathy towards my son and families of those who lost their children. Don't spread rumours. Don't spread any misinformation. Police is carrying out their investigation. So, I appeal to the media to avoid printing or saying any information without doing their ground work," the father said as he pleaded to show compassion toward the victims' families and his son.
Gruesome visuals of the accident circulating on social media depict the sheer impact of the collision, with the car's roof torn off and body parts scattered across the scene. Police officials stated that the crash resulted from the car rear-ending the truck at high speed.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his condolences, saying, “The news of the death of six youths in a road accident in Dehradun is extremely heart-rending. I pray to God to grant the departed souls a place at his sacred feet and give strength to the bereaved families to bear the immense pain."
