Punjab: 3 women farm union activists killed, 31 injured in Barnala bus accident
The bus was headed from Kotha Guru Ka village in Bathinda to the venue of the farmers’ mahapanchayat at Tohana in neighbouring Haryana.
Three women farm union activists were killed and 31 injured when a bus ferrying more than 50 passengers overturned near the Moga bypass flyover in Barnala on Saturday. The bus was headed to the venue of the farmers’ mahapanchayat at Tohana in neighbouring Haryana when the driver lost control while negotiating a turn.

“The bus overturned due to its high speed. There was a sharp turn, and the driver must have pressed the brake to slow the bus down, but it overturned,” said a police officer at the site.
The activists of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) had set off from Kotha Guru Ka village in Bathinda to attend the mahapanchayat in Tohana. “Thirty-one people have been admitted so far. They’ve been taken to Barnala Civil Hospital, some of the critically injured have been referred to AIIMS, Bathinda, and Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, for treatment,” the officer added.
The victims of the fatal accident have been identified as Sarabjit Kaur, Balbir Kaur, and Jasveer Kaur.
The authorities assured their families that post-mortem examinations will be conducted and legal action will be taken once the statements of the survivors are recorded.
BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) Sukhdev Singh Kokari said, “The women were from Kotha Guru Ka, which is located near Nathana. There was dense fog when the accident occurred.”
Five injured in another accident
Five people, including a woman, were injured when a bus and a truck collided on the highway near Phatti Sohal. The bus was also carrying farm union activists for the Khanauri mahapanchayat.
According to assistant sub inspector Tarsem Singh, the bus was coming from Dallewal village and was headed for Khanauri when it collided with a truck. “Five people sustained injuries, including four men and a woman. The driver has suffered serious injuries,” he said.
The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals and the authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
