Bus carrying BJP workers to PM Modi's rally in Chhattisgarh meets with accident; 3 killed

A BJP worker, who was critically injured when a bus carrying people to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Chhattisgarh met with an accident on Friday, has been shifted to Delhi in an air ambulance, the party said in a statement.

Three persons were killed and six others were injured when the bus hit the stationary truck near Beltara village in Bilaspur district.

Among the injured, the condition of two BJP workers- Vishambhar Yadav, the party's mandal general secretary in Surajpur and Lilu Gupta, BJP's Latori unit mandal president in Surajpur- was stated to be critical and they were admitted to a private hospital in Bilaspur.

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Yadav, a resident of Surajpur district, had suffered critical injuries to his spine and in view of his condition, it was decided to shift him to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi after consulting doctors and his family members, the BJP said.

Subsequently, union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the joint incharge for assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, alerted AIIMS Delhi in this regard and Yadav was airlifted to the national capital in an air ambulance from Chakarbhata airport at Bilaspur at 3 pm, it said.

Another injured BJP worker, Gupta, has sustained injuries to his ribs and intestine and his surgery was performed on Friday. He is under constant supervision of doctors, the BJP said.

The medical expenses of the injured will be borne by the BJP, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed grief over the accident on Friday.

The kin of each of the deceased in the accident will get a cumulative ex-gratia of Rs 9 lakh—Rs 4 lakh by the state government and Rs 5 lakh by the opposition BJP.