The deceased have been identified as Sheetal Vishwakarma of Rathara village, and Shivam Vishwakarma and Bhagwat Vishwakarma, residents of Chachai. Bhagwat Vishwakarma’s son, Shubham, is scheduled to be married on February 25. What was meant to mark the beginning of wedding ceremonies ended in devastation for the family.
According to eyewitness accounts, the accident took place at around 3:30 pm when an Audi car travelling from Raipur towards Rewa struck the motorcycle at high speed. The impact was so severe that the bike was completely mangled and the riders were flung several metres away. All three sustained critical injuries and died instantly at the scene.
Police officials said Bhagwat Vishwakarma had set out with his relatives to visit the Chirhula Nath temple to offer the first wedding card to God, a long-standing Hindu tradition observed before weddings. The ritual, often considered auspicious, was to be followed by distribution of invitations to relatives and friends.
Soon after receiving information, police reached the spot and cordoned off the area. The bodies were sent to the district hospital for post-mortem examination, while the damaged motorcycle and the Audi car were seized as part of the investigation.
“The car involved in the accident has been taken into custody. The driver fled the scene after the collision. A search operation has been launched to trace and arrest him,” a senior police officer said, adding that a case has been registered under relevant sections related to rash and negligent driving causing death.
Local residents alleged that vehicles often overspeed on the Rewa–Raipur stretch, raising concerns over road safety and enforcement. Police said they are examining CCTV footage from nearby areas to establish the exact sequence of events and the speed at which the car was being driven.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the villages of Rathara and Chachai. At the Vishwakarma household, wedding decorations were replaced by mourning as relatives and neighbours gathered to console the grieving family.
Police said further action would follow once the post-mortem reports are received and the accused driver is apprehended.
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