Accident on Rishikesh-Chilla highway claims lives of four Forest Department employees

The accident, in which five individuals were also injured, took place when the vehicle was returning from a trial run

New Delhi

In a tragic accident, four employees of the Uttarakhand Forest Department died after their vehicle, which was returning from a trial run, crashed into a tree near the Chilla canal along the Rishikesh-Chilla highway on Monday. Five others have been injured in the incident, and one person is missing, officials said.

“Pramod Dhyani, who was the wildlife warden of Rajaji Tiger Reserve died in the accident. Saif Ali Khan, a driver of the Chilla forest colony, as well as Kulraj Singh, were also among those who died,” Lakshman Jhoola police station SHO Ravi Kumar Saini said.

According to the police, among the deceased was forest ranger Shailesh Ghildiyal, who was the brother of Uttarakhand cadre IAS, Mangesh Ghildiyal, currently deputed in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Aloki Devi, wildlife protector with the Uttarakhand Forest Department, also fell into the canal, and is presently missing. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force and the Jal Police, as well as a posse of local residents were deployed on rafts in search of Ms. Devi.

The police added that five people who were injured, namely Himanshu Gosain, Rakesh Nautiyal, Ankush Kumar, Amit Semwal, and Ashwin Biju, were taken to AIIMS, Rishikesh.

A senior Forest Department official, while speaking to The Hindu, explained that the accident occurred after the trial run of an all-terrain vehicle. During its return, one of the tyres burst, and the vehicle swerved to hit a tree. The vehicle was roofless, and the passengers were flung off.

The official explained that the vehicle was returning from an event organised as a training-cum-interaction for Forest Department employees.

“It is a matter of investigation as to how a trial run was being conducted along with a separate event. It is not usually so. Also, whether the vehicle had the capacity to ferry so many people at once will also have to be investigated,” the official added, on the condition of anonymity.