Ara: The joy of attending a marriage function turned tragic for two friends when their bike was hit by a speeding pickup van on the Ara–Patna four-lane road at Koilwar in Bhojpur district on Wednesday morning.According to police, the deceased were identified as 30-year-old Sujit Kumar, son of Brijnandan Singh, a resident of Katesar village under Bihta police station, and his 35-year-old friend Amit Kumar, son of Nanda Mahto of the same village. “The two grievously injured men were rushed to the Koilwar PHC, where both succumbed to their injuries,” said Karan Kumar, a friend of Sujit Kumar.Sujit Kumar’s wife, Saraswati Kumari, told mediapersons, “We were returning home to Katesar on Wednesday morning after attending the marriage function of my husband’s niece (bhanji), which was held at Mahuli village under Ara Mufassil police station on Tuesday. While I was travelling in an auto-rickshaw with other family members, Sujit and his friend were on their bike. A speeding pickup van hit their bike near the Koilwar underpass, killing both of them on the spot.”Koilwar SHO Narottam Chandra, who rushed to the spot along with other police personnel, said, “The investigation is underway to identify the pickup van driver. CCTV footage is being examined to trace and nab him.”
