Vehicle in President convoy falls in gorge, 6 injured

A car in President Pranab Mukherjee’s convoy plunged into a gorge on way to Bagdogra from Darjeeling, leaving six security personnel, including an IPS officer, injured on Friday morning. The President did not suffer any injuries, but his car stopped for some time at a tourist lodge in Kurseong soon after accident.

The six injured security personnel were quickly rescued by the Army and police personnel as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was also travelling in the same convoy, stopped her car and led the rescue effort. The President tweeted, “Car in President’s carcade from Darjeeling to Bagdogra goes off road, minor injuries to security personnel; #PresidentMukherjee safe.”

Ms Banerjee spoke to the President over the phone. “Dada, please do not worry. All of them are alive. One of them has been recused with the help of rope. There are five more who are yet to be rescued. We are trying our best to rescue them. The car fell in a deep gorge,” she was heard telling the President.

The President later tweeted, “Unfortunate accident involving escort vehicle in convoy en route to Bagdogra today; everybody well by grace of God #PresidentMukherjee.”

The accident took place at Sonada near Kurseong, around 16 kilometres away from Darjeeling, at 10.30 am when Mr Mukherjee, along with his son Abhijit, a Congress MP and daughter Sharmistha, was on his way to the Bagdogra Airport to catch his flight to return to New Delhi after his three-day visit to the state.

The ill-fated car, which was the third in the convoy ahead of the chief minister’s car, skidded off the rain-soaked road in the hill while taking a turn amidst dense fog and fell into a 100-foot-deep gorge. A senior police officer, who was travelling in Ms Banerjee’s car, saw the car skidding off the road and informed her. The ill-fated car, luckily, got stuck in between the trees.

Special superintendent of police (criminal investigation department) Dip Shankar Rudra, an IPS officer, the President’s chief security officer, A.P. Singh from the Delhi police, sub-inspector (SI) of the Jorabanglo police station in Darjeeling Sudip Biswas and SI Pijush Bhattacharya were travelling in the car along with its driver Goutam Biswas from the directorate of security.

Getting down from her car Ms Banerjee took a microphone in her hand and made an announcement to alert all the security personnel.

All the six injured were rescued within 45 minutes and were taken to different hospitals. The chief minister later told the rescue team members, “I thank all of you for your quick effort. You will be rewarded.”