Overview
- A speeding car ploughed into a group of more than 20 VB‑G RAM G/MGNREGA labourers on the Lehragaga–Jakhal road near Alisher village on Sunday, leaving eight dead and 12 injured.
- Police identified the driver as Pargat Singh of Raidharana village, seized the vehicle, booked him and began forensic work and raids as part of a criminal investigation.
- Punjab ministers visited the injured in hospitals and the state announced free medical treatment plus an ex‑gratia payment of ₹2 lakh for each deceased next of kin.
- Victims’ families have refused to perform last rites and are staging protests that demand much larger compensation and government jobs, saying the announced amount is inadequate.
- Locals allege ambulances took about an hour to arrive while health officials say multiple ambulances were dispatched, a dispute that has sharpened calls for better roadside safety and faster emergency response for rural labourers.