New videos have emerged on social media showing the before and after visuals of the electric vehicle accident in Uttarakhand, in which four people, including two forest rangers, were killed.
The video shared by Chief Conservator of Forests Dr PM Dhakate shows the forest rangers and other passengers posing for the camera as they enjoyed their journey in an electric vehicle for a trial run within Uttarakhand’s Rajaji Tiger Reserve.
The ‘after’ visuals show the vehicle in a mangled state and an injured man, who was sitting in the rear seat, being rescued by officials.
The accident took place on Monday when an electric vehicle crashed into a tree after one of its tyres burst near the Chilla canal in Uttarakhand. It first hit the tree beyond the Chilla powerhouse and then collided with the canal wall.
‘FOREST RANGERS ASKED ME TO ACCELERATE’: DRIVER
Notably, the driver of the electric vehicle had told the police that the forest rangers had forced him to seat more passengers than the safety limit and asked him to speed up the vehicle multiple times.
“The ranger standing at the rear of the vehicle ordered me to go to the Chilla Dam road and asked me to go to other off-road obstacles as part of the demonstration,” he said, according to news agency PTI.
He added they asked him to “accelerate” despite “my repeated requests to not go outside the planned range”.
“I refused to comply 2-3 times and did not accelerate the speed beyond 30-40 (kmph),” he said, adding he “succumbed” to the pressures from the other officer and “gave a little acceleration burst”.
“As it is an electric vehicle, the acceleration is fairly high, and it reached a speed of 70 kmph in a fraction of a second,” he said. “Due to loose, unstable roads with mud and dangerous rocks, the tyre burst and the vehicle lost control from the rear and hit a tree sideways before colliding with the high speed into the embankment wall between the road and river.”
The electric vehicle was to be used for patrolling. Such electric vehicles have been bought by tiger reserves in different parts of the country.
EV COMPANY ISSUES STATEMENT
Bengaluru-based electric vehicle startup Pravaig Dynamics, whose trial EV was involved in the accident, on Wednesday released a statement on the same.
In a post on X, Pravaig Dynamics wrote, “We are deeply saddened to report a tragic incident involving a vehicle under demonstration via our distributor, one where they were conducting an authorised trial run in Rajaji National Park with the Forest Dept of Uttarakhand.”
The company further wrote, “We have received reports of the accident and the subsequent casualties leading from a tyre burst and for standing against the safety protocol. No fire or other safety incidents have taken place in the vehicle which was involved in a side impact high speed crash.”
The company has alleged that the FIR filed by the Uttarakhand Police does not include “critical facts”. It further alleged that the EV trial was authorised by the forest department, and that forest department officials overloaded the trial EV and took it off the approved boundary for trial runs.
Pravaig Dynamics claimed that the driver’s statement on the forest rangers asking him to “accelerate” the vehicle over the speed limit was not included in the FIR.
“We request that under law and principles of natural justice, Uttarakhand Police records a fresh FIR with all the relevant facts,” the company said in a statement.
FOUR KILLED IN EV ACCIDENT
The deceased included forest rangers Shailesh Ghildiyal and Pramod Dhyani. A driver named Saif Ali Khan of the Chilla forest colony and another person, identified as Kulraj Singh, were the other two killed in the incident.
Four people were also injured in the accident and were taken to AIIMS, Rishikesh. They were identified as Dr Rakesh Nautiyal, Himanshu Gusain, Amit Semwal and Ankush.
Rajaji Tiger Reserve’s wildlife warden Aloki Devi had gone missing after falling into the canal following the accident.
Uttarakhand Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal has ordered a high-level inquiry into the accident.
(With PTI inputs)
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
