LUCKNOW: Army personnel Satyawan Singh had two cherished dreams: to see his son Gaurav become a doctor and his daughter Diksha an engineer. On Sunday, tragedy shattered the family, claiming both the father and son along with two other relatives.Satyawan, posted at the Army camp in Meerut, died during treatment in Chandigarh. His family was bringing his body to their native village, Gahila Dudhailla, in Deoria when their ambulance rammed into a stationary truck on the Purvanchal Expressway near Haliyapur in Sultanpur.Gaurav, 18, who was preparing for NEET despite an unsuccessful attempt, died on the spot along with the ambulance driver, Jaspal. Satyawan’s elder brother, Ram Samujh Singh, a postal department employee, and relative Rajan Chaudhary later succumbed to their injuries.Satyawan’s wife, Sarojini, and daughter Diksha had reached the village in a separate Army vehicle.The four deaths have plunged the family and village into grief, leaving behind shattered dreams and an unimaginable void.The journey meant to bring home an Army veteran for his final rites turned into an even greater tragedy when an ambulance carrying the body of retired Army Subedar Major Satyawan Singh crashed into a stationary truck on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur district on Sunday morning.The victims were identified as Gaurav Singh (18), the only son of retired Subedar Major Satyawan Singh; Ram Samujh Singh (55), his brother; Rajan Singh (35), his nephew; and ambulance driver Jaspal.The accident occurred near Haliyapur, close to the Ayodhya-Sultanpur border, at kilometre marker 79.6 on the expressway.According to police, the ambulance was travelling from Panchkula in Haryana to the family’s native village in the Rudrapur area of Deoria district when it rammed into a truck parked along the expressway. Preliminary investigations suggest the vehicle was moving at high speed when the collision took place.The impact was devastating. The front portion of the ambulance was completely crushed, trapping the driver and one passenger inside the mangled cabin. Police personnel and rescue teams had to cut open the vehicle to retrieve the bodies.Two other occupants, who were seated in the rear section of the ambulance, suffered critical injuries and were rushed to hospital but succumbed to their injuries during treatment.Family members said Subedar Major Satyawan Singh had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chandigarh and had undergone a kidney transplant. He died in Panchkula a few days before the journey home.Following his death, relatives travelled to Haryana to bring his body back to Deoria for the last rites.Police said the soldier’s body was shifted to Haliyapur police station after the crash, while the bodies of the other victims were sent for post-mortem.The tragedy left the family shattered, with four members dying while transporting the soldier’s body home.A relative, Daroga Singh, said the family had been travelling in more than one vehicle and claimed the ambulance driver opted for the Purvanchal Expressway route, believing it would shorten the journey to Deoria. The other vehicle carrying relatives remained safe.District magistrate Indrajeet Singh said CCTV footage from the area was being examined. Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal said police received information about the accident through Dial 112 and initiated legal proceedings.
