1 kanwariya killed, another injured as mini-truck hits motorcycle in Muzaffarnagar

A 'kanwariya' was killed while one more was seriously injured when their motorcycle was hit by a speeding mini-truck in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Tuesday.

The accident occurred on Monday evening near Budhana town on the Khatima-Panipat highway, they said, adding that the mini-truck was also transporting a group of 'kanwariyas'.

Sachin (25) died on the spot, while Ashok is undergoing treatment at a hospital, a police officer said.

He said the duo was returning to Panipat from Haridwar.

In another incident, a 65-year-old woman, Saeeda, died after two 'kanwariyas' on a motorcycle hit her while she was crossing a road in Chhapar village of Purkaji block on Monday, police said.

After the accident, the motorcycle-borne men fled the spot, they said.

Meanwhile, police constable Rahul Kumar, who was undertaking the kanwar yatra, was killed after being hit by a motorcycle in Haridwar on Monday, officials said.

Kumar, posted in Shahjahanpur, was on leave and had come to his village Bijopur for the yatra, they said.

'Kanwariyas' are devotees of Lord Shiva. They visit Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of the Ganga during the Hindu month of Shravan. This year, the kanwar yatra began on July 17.