Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 29: In a road accident two days before the polling, two youths were crushed to death and an elderly woman severely injured under the wheels of a luxury SUV which formed part of a convoy of the Kaiserganj BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha elections Karan Bhushan in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.
The local police seized the vehicle and took the bodies into custody for postmortem. It is not known whether Mr Singh was in the vehicle or convoy or not. The injured woman has been admitted to hospital and police personnel have been deployed in the area to ensure law and order.
The police said two youths Rehan Khan (17) and Shehzad Khan (24) who were riding on a motorcycle were ran over by the vehicle near Baikunth Degree College on Colonelganj-Huzoorpur road and died on the spot. The SUV that hit the duo lost control and also hit Sita Devi (60) who was walking on the road side.
The police said the Toyota Fortuner SUV belonged to the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh out on the election campaigning. Karan Bhushan is the son of the six-time MP from Kaiserganj and former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was refused ticket this time by the BJP for sexual assault allegations against him levelled by some top women wrestlers in the country, and his younger son chosen for the party ticket.
A Delhi court recently framed charges in the case against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Karan Bhushan, who is Brij Bhushan’s younger son, is also a wrestling administrator and national player in double trap shooting. He holds an LLB degree, along with a diploma in business management from Australia. His elder brother, Prateek Bhushan Singh, represents the Gonda Sadar constituency as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
Visuals from the accident site show the SUV with “police escort” written on the rear windscreen, suggesting it is part of a VIP convoy. The car’s number is UP32HW1800 and it is said to be registered in the name of Nandini Nagar educational institute in Lucknow of which Brij Buushan Sharan Singh is the chairman.
According to the FIR, the complainant Chanda Begum has said that around 9 am today, her 17-year-old son Rehan and 24-year-old nephew Shehzad were out on a bike to buy medicines when the speeding SUV coming from the opposite side hit the two-wheeler. Both died on the spot. A 60-year-old woman, identified as Sita Devi, was injured and has been hospitalised. A huge crowd gathered at the site after the accident, as family members of the victims demanded justice.
Police have arrested the driver, Luvkush Srivastava, and seized the SUV. There is no confirmation yet on whether Karan Bhushan Singh was travelling with the cavalcade at the time of the accident. Senior police officer Radheysham Rai said the bodies of the victims have been sent for autopsy and further probe is on.
Farman Khan, a relative of the victims, said there was blood on the road when they reached the spot and the youngsters had been taken to hospital. “Local residents told us Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy of 4-5 cars was passing through and the Fortuner hit the bike. When we went to the hospital, doctors told us our children are dead. Please get us justice. We cannot think,” he said.
Reacting to the incident, the Trinamool Congress said it “seems criminal behaviour runs in Modi Ka Parivar.” “Like father, like son! Brij Bhushan Singh, notorious for molesting & sexually harassing female wrestlers, has passed his traits to the next generation. His son, Karan Bhushan Singh, BJP’s Kaiserganj MP candidate, has taken it a step further by mowing down innocent children with his convoy, killing two and injuring one,” the party posted on X.
The police said some eyewitness told police that the SUV was part of a convoy and four people had a narrow escape when it rammed into an electric pole after hitting the motorcycle. The officer said the occupants of the SUV were shifted to another vehicle after the accident. The SUV was left on the spot. Kaiserganj will go to polls on Saturday.
