Kutch, Oct 9: At least seven workers were killed and more than 20 others injured after a truck collided head-on with a pickup carrying workers inside the Renewable Energy (RE) Park near Khavda in Gujarat’s Kutch district in the early hours of Friday, police said.

The accident occurred around 4 a.m. when the two vehicles, travelling in opposite directions, collided. The impact left the pickup badly mangled, trapping seven workers inside the wreckage.

“A truck and a pickup truck travelling in opposite directions collided. The impact left the pickup truck mangled. All the victims were occupants of the Bolero Camper,” an official said.

The seven trapped workers were extricated with the help of a crane, but all died in the accident. More than 20 injured workers were taken to a hospital by ambulance for treatment.

Preliminary reports indicated that the pickup truck was carrying more than 20 workers at the time of the collision.

However, the exact number of occupants and the identities of those killed were not immediately available in the police account.

Officials said the bodies were being transported from Khavda to Bhuj for post-mortem examinations.

Police have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the collision and are examining whether negligence contributed to the accident.

The precise cause of the crash and whether any safety violations were involved remain under investigation.

The accident occurred within the Khavda renewable energy development area, where large-scale clean-energy projects are being developed across the arid region of Kutch. The construction activity has brought a substantial workforce and supporting infrastructure to the area.

Investigators are expected to establish how the two vehicles collided and whether any lapses contributed to the deaths and injuries.

Further details, including the identities of the deceased and the condition of those injured, were not immediately available.

Police have not yet disclosed whether any case has been registered against the drivers or whether any arrests have been made in connection with the accident.

New Delhi, Oct 9: Ahead of the proposed protest by the CJP at Jantar Mantar on October 10, the Delhi Police on Friday said permission for the demonstration has been denied due to the organisers’ failure to comply with legal directions and their own undertakings during an earlier protest.

Citing the prevailing law-and-order situation, public safety and the need to regulate traffic, the police said the decision was taken after considering the circumstances surrounding the proposed demonstration.

Addressing a press conference, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi Range) Nupur Prasad said the police had received an application from Sourav Das, co-convenor of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), regarding a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar seeking accountability from the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

“The intimation was considered, and it was found that it was given at very short notice. As per the prescribed guidelines, the intimation has to be received 10 days prior to the planned protest,” she said.

Prasad further said that on an earlier occasion, the CJP had been granted permission to hold a protest at the venue, but it had failed to comply with lawful directions and its own undertakings.

“Therefore, due to the failure to follow the legal directions and their own undertakings, and considering the prevailing law-and-order situation, public safety and traffic regulation, permission has been rejected this time,” she said.

The Joint CP also said that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was in force in the New Delhi area, with preventive restrictions imposed to maintain public order and safety.

She warned that appropriate legal action would be taken against anyone found violating the provisions of Section 163 of the BNSS.

The Delhi Police have also proposed closing the entry and exit points of 57 metro stations from 9 p.m. on Friday until Saturday. The proposal has been sent to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials, and confirmation is awaited. These include Janpath, Patel Chowk, Supreme Court, ITO, Delhi Gate, Kashmere Gate, Rohini West, Welcome, Shalimar Bagh, Adarsh Nagar, and Hauz Khas.

Police officials said the proposal concerns the closure of entry and exit points, while interchange facilities may remain available to commuters.

The proposed restrictions and transport measures come amid preparations to manage public movement, maintain law and order and minimise traffic disruptions in the national capital during the planned protest.

Greater Noida, Oct 9: Nearly a week after a young man jumped to his death from the 43rd floor of Noida’s Supernova building in Sector 94, sending shockwaves in the area, a 36-year-old man died after falling from the 12th floor of a residential society in Greater Noida West on Friday, with his family telling police that he had been struggling with depression, officials said.

The deceased was identified as Anil Kumar, son of Santosh Kumar, a resident of Ace Divino Society under the Bisrakh police station limits. He originally hailed from Prithvipur village in Madhya Pradesh’s Niwari district.

According to police, they received information about the incident on Friday and sent a team to the spot. The personnel gathered details about the incident and completed the identification process.

Police subsequently took custody of the body, completed the inquest proceedings and sent it for post-mortem examination.

During preliminary enquiries, the deceased’s family told police that Kumar had been experiencing depression for some time. However, police are still examining the circumstances leading to the incident, and the family’s statement alone does not establish the cause of the fall.

Police said further legal formalities were underway. More details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses and the post-mortem examination is completed.

Earlier, on October 3, Sambhav Jain jumped from the 43rd floor of Noida’s Supernova building in Sector 94. The 29-year-old man was a resident of Manesar in Haryana’s Gurugram.

Meanwhile, according to preliminary information received earlier, the impact of the fall was such that the victim’s body was severed into two pieces. A sound resembling a bomb blast was reportedly heard in the complex due to the impact of the fall.

According to reports, the young man who committed suicide was staying at Supernova’s AIR BNB and committed suicide as he was depressed after his divorce and his baby’s illness that had resulted in mounting medical bills.

In another case of suicide reported last month, a first-year MCA student hanged himself in his room in Sector Alpha-2, under the jurisdiction of the Beta-2 Police Station in Greater Noida.

He had reportedly moved to Noida about a month prior to the incident and was pursuing his first-year MCA course through online classes.