Kota, February 12 Three children, aged between six and twelve, were killed and their father was critically injured after the motorcycle they were travelling on was allegedly hit from behind by a speeding trailer on a section of National Highway-27 under the Dabi police station limits in Bundi district late on Wednesday.
The incident led to protests by family members and villagers, who placed the bodies on the road and demanded the arrest of the accused truck driver, disrupting traffic movement on the national highway for around an hour.
According to police, Madan Banjara was travelling to his village, Prarana, on a motorcycle on Wednesday night.
He was accompanied by his three children – Suman (6), Ankit Banjara (8), and Karan Banjara (12).
The fast-moving trailer allegedly hit their motorcycle from behind. The collision was severe, police said, adding that all four victims were dragged on the road.
The three children died on the spot, while the father sustained severe injuries and was admitted to a hospital in Kota, where he is undergoing treatment and is reported to be out of danger.
Circle Inspector Hemraj Sharma said the trailer was allegedly moving at high speed due to which the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit the motorcycle.
The driver of the offending truck allegedly fled the scene after the accident, and efforts are underway to trace him, he said, adding that the vehicle has been seized.
Following the incident, family members and villagers gathered at the accident site and staged a protest by placing the bodies on the slip lane of the highway. The protests disrupted traffic on NH-27 for around an hour, causing queues of vehicles on both carriageways.
Protesters alleged that frequent accidents occur on this stretch due to overspeeding vehicles and demanded the immediate arrest of the driver and adequate compensation for the victims' family.
The protesters were assured of strict action and assistance as per norms. The bodies were taken for postmortem examination and subsequently handed over to family members on Thursday morning, Sharma said.