Pall of gloom descends at village as bodies of 7 members of a family arrived

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara  :  A pall of gloom descended at village Baraka Lauhar Farna under Barhara police station in Bhojpur district in the afternoon on March 23, 2017, as the bodies of seven persons of a family including that of RPF Assistant Commandant Sheshnath Singh reached there. Their last rites were performed on the bank of river Ganga at their village on Thursday. Sheshnath Singh’s second son Sajan Singh alias Anil Singh performed the last rites. Earlier, senior officials of the district went to Lauhar Farna along with the bodies after receiving them at Ara railway station.

Seven members of a family including an Assistant Commandant of the RPF Sheshnath Singh were killed as a coal tar filled tanker overturned and fell on a private car in which they were travelling on Durgapur Expressway near Rathala area in Burdwan district of Bengal on Mach 22 morning. The coal tar was so hot that the car contracted and all the passengers in the car died.

The deceased were identified as Assistant Commandant, RPF, Sheshnath Singh, his wife Nirmala Devi, his son Rajan Kumar, his wife Reshma Singh and sons Anwesh Singh and Aaarav Singh and daughter Riya Singh. The RPF Assistant Commandant was posted at Hajipur, the Headquarters of East Central Railways, and was to retire on March 31, 2017, while his son  Rajan Kumar was an Inspector in the RPF posted in Howrah.

The incident took place when a Howrah to Asansol bound sedan car was to cross the coal tar tanker but lost its control and telescoped into the private car by which deceased were travelling. The car was mangled under the tanker and covered with hot coal-tar which leaked from the tanker. The car hit the roadside railing of the Kallol Nagar-Rathtala flyover after losing control and came under the tanker. The tanker crushed the car killing all the passengers. All the passengers were severely burnt as liquid asphalt fell on them. They were rushed to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital where all were declared brought dead.  Rajan Kumar 42 had purchased the car two days ago and was returning after offering prayer and puja at a Tarapeeth temple when the disaster struck them.

Sheshnath Singh had three sons.Rajan Kumar was the eldest while Sajan Singh alias Anil Singh is in service at Chennai and the third son Gautam Kumar works in Mumbai.