Five killed, 11 injured as tempo carrying family collides with bus in UP's Bahraich
Bahraich (UP), Apr 15 (PTI): Five members of a family, including two children, were killed and 11 others injured when a double-decker bus collided head-on with a tempo on the Bahraich-Gonda highway on Tuesday, an official said.
All the victims were relatives and were heading to attend a family function when the accident occurred, District Magistrate Monika Rani said.
The incident took place near Payagpur when the tempo carrying 16 people from Hirai Purwa village collided with the bus coming from the opposite direction.
"The family was heading to Koluhwa village to attend a wedding reception. The tempo driver was trying to overtake a tractor when it collided with the bus,” Monika Rani told reporters.
The deceased have been identified as Amjad (45), Fahad (5), Azim (12), Maryam (65), and Munni (45). All five died on the spot, the official said.
The injured, all women and children, have been admitted to the Maharishi Balark district hospital in Bahraich. According to hospital sources, their condition is stable but some of them remain under observation.
Speaking to reporters at the hospital, the mother of one of the deceased children said, "We had booked the tempo to attend the wedding reception of Mohammad Yakub in Koluhwa. All of us were from the same family. Five of our family members have died, while several others are in serious condition."
Monika Rani and SP Ramnayan Singh visited the hospital to take stock of the situation, sources said.
“We have instructed the medical staff to provide all necessary treatment to the victims," Monika Rani said. ASP (City) Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said the injured have been identified as Zainab (58), Nisha (36), Saba (15), Wajid (4), Sania (22), Tabassum (18), Alsifa (50), Wajihat (18), Aleemunisha (40), Najam (45) and Zaituna (65), all residents of Hirai Pur village.
Tempo driver Amjad, who was killed in the accident, was also a resident of the same village, the officer said. Kushwaha said the double-decker bus, which plies on the Delhi-Gonda route, was heading to Gonda after dropping passengers. There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the accident.
The driver of the bus, along with the vehicle, has been taken into custody, the officer said, adding that police have launched a probe after sending the bodies for autopsy.
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Palaniswami rules out power-sharing in TN with BJP after 2026 polls, contradicts NDA ally: Report
Chennai: Days after the AIADMK formally rejoined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) made it clear that no coalition government will be formed in Tamil Nadu following the 2026 Assembly elections, directly contradicting a recent assertion by senior BJP leader Amit Shah.
Palaniswami's remarks contradict Shah’s statement made in Chennai on April 11, where the Union Minister had said that a coalition government led by the AIADMK would soon come to power in the state.
Addressing reporters at the State Secretariat, EPS asserted that Shah’s remarks were being misinterpreted. “He didn’t say it would be a coalition government. You are misinterpreting and trying to play tricks. Please stop that,” Palaniswami was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
Clarifying further, the former Chief Minister emphasised that Shah’s remarks merely indicated that the “AIADMK-BJP alliance” would form the government, and not that there would be a power-sharing arrangement. Palaniswami emphasised that while the alliance would be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level, it would be led by him in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, senior AIADMK leaders told The Indian Express that EPS’s clarification was prompted by significant internal feedback. “There were several calls and feedback messages from our leaders and well-wishers who believed Shah’s speech hinted at some form of power-sharing. That’s why he had to say it clearly on Wednesday,” IE report quoted one party leader as saying.
Though the BJP has not issued an official response to EPS’s comments, party insiders reportedly said EPS’s stand was expected and no offence was taken.
