States » NorthPosted at: Oct 18 2026 8:06PM


Eight MGNREGA workers killed as speeding car ploughs into roadside group in Punjab's Sangrur

Chandigarh, Oct 18 (UNI) At least eight MGNREGA workers were reportedly killed and several others seriously injured on Sunday when a speeding car ploughed into a group of labourers taking a water break along the Lehragaga-Jakhal road in Punjab's Sangrur district, triggering outrage over alleged delays in emergency response and accusations that the driver was allowed to escape.
The accident occurred between 3 pm and 4 pm when around 23 men and women employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) were engaged in road-related work. According to eyewitnesses, the workers had stopped for water and were sitting along the roadside when a speeding Hyundai Verna allegedly ran into them.
The impact left several workers lying motionless on the road, while others suffered serious injuries. The injured were shifted to government hospitals in Lehragaga and Sunam, where several were reported to be in critical condition.
Eyewitnesses alleged that ambulances took nearly an hour to reach the accident site, despite the scale of the tragedy. They also questioned the police response, claiming that a police post was barely a minute away from the scene.
"Ambulances arrived nearly an hour after we made the calls. By the time the police reached the spot, the injured had already been shifted to hospitals," eyewitness Harvinder Singh, alias Lavi, alleged.
Harvinder, who works at a nearby factory, said he rushed to the scene after learning about the accident.
"When I reached the spot, five or six people were lying in a condition where they appeared unlikely to survive. The car had hit several workers, and some of the injured were in an extremely critical condition," he said.
He further alleged that the driver remained at the scene for approximately 15 minutes but subsequently escaped.
"The driver was there for about 15 minutes. We want to know how he was allowed to leave. He should be brought before the people and action should be taken against him," Harvinder said.
Local resident Harpreet Singh of Alisher village accused successive governments of exposing rural labourers to dangerous working conditions and failing to learn from earlier tragedies.
"Successive governments have left labourers to die on the roads. A similar accident earlier claimed six or seven lives, but nothing came of it. Today, another seven or eight people have died. After four or five days, everyone will forget this tragedy too," he alleged.
Harpreet demanded that MGNREGA employment be provided within villages rather than requiring labourers to work alongside busy roads.
"Earlier, MGNREGA work was carried out inside villages. Now workers are being sent to roads. These people were merely sitting down to drink water when the car struck them. How many more lives must be lost before the authorities act?" he asked.
Another eyewitness, Amritpal Singh, corroborated allegations of a delayed emergency response.
"The workers were drinking water when the Verna car ran over them. Several people died. The ambulance arrived after about an hour, and despite such a major accident, only one police employee initially reached the spot," he claimed.
Police said proceedings were being initiated to register a case against the car driver. However, officials maintained that the final death toll would be established after receiving medical reports from the hospitals.
The police also appealed to people to avoid sitting on roads, while local residents demanded accountability for the accident, the alleged delay in emergency services and the circumstances surrounding the driver's escape.
UNI NB CDS
Tags: #Eight MGNREGA workers killed as speeding car ploughs into roadside group in Punjab's Sangrur
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