Akshita stayed at a paying guest accommodation in Sector 21. Akshita stayed at a paying guest accommodation in Sector 21.

A 21-YEAR-OLD student was run over by a speeding Thar jeep while walking on zebra crossing on Sector 21/34 dividing road on Tuesday. The victim was identified as Akshita Abrol, a resident of Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. She was accompanied by her friend Renu Sharma, who had a narrow escape. The incident happened around 11 am.

The Thar jeep bearing Haryana registration number was being driven by a BCom student of SD College, Sector 32, Nihar Kaur, 21. She is a resident of Sector 10. She was arrested and later released on bail. Police said Nihar failed to produce any driving licence when she was arrested. On Wednesday, she was found to have a learner’s licence.

Akshita stayed at a paying guest accommodation in Sector 21. She along with Renu Sharma was going to attend a coaching class for banking exams when the incident occurred. Eyewitness Renu said, “There was no traffic on the road. We were marching on the zebra crossing. Akshita was ahead of me. In the meantime, a speeding red colour Thar came from the side of Sector 35 roundabout and hit Akshita. Akshita’s head was hit on the bonnet of Thar jeep.

Her head was crushed under the right-side wheels of jeep. The jeep was stopped around 40 metres from the zebra crossing. Akshita was lying on the road motionless. I shouted for help. A man called Parvesh Bhardwaj came forward and we rushed Akshita to Mukut Hospital, Sector 34, in the jeep of the woman driver. Doctors there did their best and put the injured on ventilator. Later, they declared her dead.”

Renu is also from Udhampur. They both came to Chandigarh for coaching after completing their graduation two months ago. Parvesh Bhardwaj said, “The jeep was being driven at speed of around 100 km per hour. Victim was crushed under two wheels of the jeep.”

Ravinder Kumar Abrol, the victim’s cousin, said, “The mother of accused driver, Nihar Kaur, tried to mislead the police and us. She claimed that she was behind the wheels, a claim which was rejected by Renu Sharma and the man who helped rush my injured cousin to hospital. Police response was slow. When Akshita’s body was referred to GMCH-32 in the presence of cops, mortuary staff members at GMCH-32 refused to accept the body citing incomplete paperwork. One of our woman relatives helped us and then the body was kept in the mortuary. The postmortem examination will be held tomorrow.”

Akshita is survived by her parents and one younger brother. Her father Jugal Kishor Abrol is a shopkeeper

at Udhampur. A case was registered at the Sector 34 police station.

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