The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a conditional summons to the Punjab government over “serious safety violations” in buses operating under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana.

The summons was issued by a Bench presided over by member Priyank Kanoongo to the Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab.

Five people were killed, and 16 others sustained injuries after two buses carrying pilgrims collided head-on on the Tarn Taran-Bathinda National Highway near Naushehra Pannuan village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district on Saturday.

The NHRC, in a press statement on Saturday, said that in its earlier proceedings, it had flagged recurring fatal accidents involving passenger and sleeper buses, structural deficiencies and violations of CIRT guidelines, and had called for urgent preventive measures.

“A subsequent complaint by the Network for Access to Justice & Multidisciplinary Outreach Foundation highlighted serious safety concerns in buses deployed under Punjab’s Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, including alleged unauthorised structural modifications, obstruction of emergency exits, and deficiencies in fire safety and emergency evacuation arrangements,” it said.

The NHRC had directed the Punjab government to inspect all buses operating under the scheme and immediately withdraw vehicles that failed to meet mandatory safety standards.

“However, the state government failed to demonstrate effective action on these directions,” the statement mentioned.

The NHRC said that despite the specific and time-bound directions of the Commission, the Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab, “has not submitted the requisite Action Taken Report. No report indicating the inspections conducted, safety deficiencies identified, corrective measures undertaken or accountability fixed has been received from the State Government till date.”

“The subsequent collision between two buses under the same scheme in Tarn Taran on 14 November 2026, resulting in four reported deaths and injuries to around 30 people, has brought these concerns into sharp focus,” it added.

Taking serious note of the continued non-compliance and the reported tragedy, the Commission deplored the “lackadaisical approach of the authorities” and issued a conditional summons to the Chief Secretary, Punjab, directing him to appear before the Commission.

“The Commission observed that ensuring the safety of passengers, particularly senior citizens and other vulnerable persons travelling under a Government-sponsored welfare scheme, is a direct responsibility of the State and the competent regulatory authorities. Such schemes cannot be implemented at the cost of human life, and compliance with mandatory vehicle safety standards cannot be reduced to a mere procedural formality. The continued failure to respond to the Commission’s directions, particularly when the very risks highlighted in the complaint have now reportedly culminated in a fatal accident, is viewed with utmost seriousness,” the NHRC statement said.

The NHRC has directed the Chief Secretary to submit details of bus inspections, safety compliance, corrective measures, action against non-compliant vehicles and a detailed report on the Tarn Taran accident. “Failure to submit comprehensive reports by the stipulated deadline will require the Chief Secretary to appear before the Commission. The Commission has reiterated that passenger safety, particularly that of senior citizens and other vulnerable persons, is the direct responsibility of the State and regulatory authorities,” it said.

In a tragic accident, a truck loaded with chickpeas toppled onto a car on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway in Haryana’s Rewari, killing four members of a family. A five-year-old child was injured in the accident, officials said.

The accident occurred on late Saturday night near Banipur Chowk in Bawal.

When the car reached near the flyover at Banipur Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway in Bawal at around 11:30 p.m, the truck, loaded with chickpeas, lost control and overturned onto the vehicle.

Eyewitnesses said the truck driver was speeding and that it first hit another vehicle and then toppled onto the car.

According to officials, the impact of the accident was such that the car was completely crushed under the truck, trapping the occupants inside. Two people died on the spot.

After receiving information about the incident, police personnel arrived at the spot and initiated an operation to rescue the trapped occupants. The windows of the car had to be cut open to pull them out.

The injured were taken to a civil hospital, where two victims were declared brought dead. Two more people later succumbed to their injuries. The injured five-year-old child is currently undergoing treatment.

The deceased have been identified as Deepak, Sarita, Nitin, and Divya.

Deepak, a resident of Bholawas village in the Aluwali area of Banpur, Rajasthan, had been living in Delhi with his family. The family had recently visited their ancestral village. On Saturday, they were returning to Dwarka, Delhi, in their car when the tragic incident took place.

This comes days after a similar accident in Delhi’s Sonia Vihar area claimed three lives and left five others injured a few days ago.

A police team, upon reaching the site, found that a dumper truck had collided with an auto-rickshaw.

The driver of the truck fled the spot after the accident.

Subsequently, eight injured persons, comprising five males, two females and the six-month-old child, were immediately shifted to JPC Hospital.

Two persons, namely Satbir (approximately 30-32 years) and one unidentified person, and the infant were declared brought dead by the attending doctors.

A double murder was reported in Delhi Bawana area after a man allegedly shot dead a 27-year-old following a quarrel, only to be killed by the victim’s brother in a retaliatory attack, police said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Naresh, the brother of the deceased Sachin, has been apprehended, while further investigation is underway to establish the motive behind the incident.

According to police, information about a person sustaining a gunshot injury was received at the Bawana police station around midnight on November 15.

A police team rushed to the hospital, where Sachin, a resident of Pooth Khurd village, was found dead with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was 27 years old.

While probing the case, the police found bloodstains and three empty cartridges inside a cowshed owned by the deceased’s family.

Further examination of the area led investigators to another body in an adjoining lane, around 100 metres from the first location. Investigators identified the deceased as Sonu alias Pradeep, also a resident of Pooth Khurd.

According to the preliminary findings based on CCTV footage and local enquiries, Sonu allegedly shot Sachin dead following a quarrel. Subsequently, Naresh allegedly caught hold of Sonu and killed him.

A police official said Naresh had been apprehended in connection with the second murder.

The police are examining the circumstances surrounding the double killing and investigating the motive behind the initial altercation.

Meanwhile, on November 4, a Delhi court convicted a man in a murder case and sentenced him to rigorous life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 20,000.

In a significant achievement for the Shahdara District Police, the team of Seemapuri Police Station secured the conviction of the accused Ranjeet in a murder case registered under FIR No. 249/2025, dated March 14, 2025, under Sections 109(1) and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the police, the incident took place on March 13, 2025, when the complainant, Poonam, was present with her husband, Thakur Das, near Jain Mandir on Kabristan Road in Delhi. During this time, the accused, Ranjeet, allegedly attacked Thakur Das with a knife, inflicting a grievous injury to his neck.

Following the attack, the injured man was immediately rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital for medical treatment. However, despite the medical intervention, Thakur Das succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital, officials said.