Truck driver burnt alive after collision amid dense fog on UP highway
Etawah (PTI): A truck driver was burnt alive after two trucks collided amid dense fog on the Agra-Etawah-Kanpur six-lane highway here, police said on Friday.
The accident occurred late Thursday night near the Pakka Bagh overbridge on National Highway-2.
Police said a truck carrying gypsum from Ahlanabad in Haryana to Varanasi rammed into another truck ahead of it after the latter suddenly applied brakes amid poor visibility due to dense fog.
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Following the collision, the truck loaded with gypsum caught fire, which quickly spread to the cabin. The driver remained trapped inside the cabin and was engulfed by flames, resulting in his death on the spot, police said.
Passersby informed the police and fire brigade about the blaze. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot and firefighters managed to douse the fire after nearly an hour of strenuous efforts. By then, the cabin of the truck had been completely gutted.
The incident and subsequent firefighting operations led to disruption of traffic on the busy highway for several hours, police said.
After the fire was extinguished, police recovered the charred remains of the driver from the burnt cabin. The deceased was identified as Jaskirat Singh alias Lovely, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, by the driver of another truck travelling behind, police said.
Police said the collision occurred due to sudden braking by the truck ahead in dense fog, leaving the following driver with little time to react. A crane was later used to remove the burnt truck from the road and traffic was restored.
The remains of the deceased have been sent for postmortem examination after completing necessary formalities, police added.
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Ikkis box office Day 1: Agastya Nanda’s war drama earns ₹7 crore, beats trade projections
Mumbai: Ikkis, the latest war drama directed by Sriram Raghavan, has delivered a stronger-than-expected opening at the box office, earning an estimated ₹7 crore net in India on its first day, Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
The film, starring Agastya Nanda, opened in theatres on January 1 across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide. Trade analysts had earlier projected a modest opening of ₹2–2.5 crore, especially given stiff competition from Dhurandhar, which continues to perform strongly at the box office.
Despite these expectations, Ikkis exceeded projections by nearly three times, helped largely by positive word of mouth. As per the report, the film had around 12% occupancy in the morning shows across the country, which jumped to 35% by afternoon, and 47% in the evening, indicating growing audience interest as the day progressed.
While Dhurandhar dominated the day with a reported ₹15 crore collection, trade observers note that Ikkis holding its ground amid such competition is a promising sign, particularly for its performance over the extended opening weekend.
Ikkis is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. The film chronicles Khetarpal’s exploits and bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Agastya plays Khetarpal in the film.
While screen legend Dharmendra appears as his father in his final performance, Dharmendra died a little over a month before the film’s release. Ikkis is also among the final films of the late Asrani, who also died late last year. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal.
