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Baghpat road accident: Two BTech engineer friends die while travelling to Rishikesh to seek blessings for jobs. Their lives were cut short just a day after receiving their degrees, leaving two families devastated. The accident occurred after Google Maps led them onto a closed road.
Baghpat: A heart-wrenching road accident occurred late Tuesday night in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. Two young engineer friends, en route to the famous Neelkanth Mahadev Temple in Rishikesh to fulfil their wish for employment, lost their lives when their car lost control and crashed into a barrier on the Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway. Both died on the spot.
The deceased youths, Kapil (24) and Prayag Kaushik (25), were residents of the Nangloi area of Delhi. They were close friends and had recently completed their B.Tech degrees. They had received their degrees from the university only on Monday. Carrying their wish for a job, they had departed from Delhi for Rishikesh on Tuesday night.
According to Inspector Brijesh Kumar (Station House Officer), both had lost their way. Using Google Maps, they reached the Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway, which is currently under construction and closed to general traffic. Just 200 metres past the entry point, the Tata Punch car lost control at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour and violently collided with temporary barricading.
The collision was so severe that the front of the car was completely damaged. Locals informed the authorities, but both had already passed away by the time the police arrived. The accident occurred near Mawikala village in the Kotwali police station area of Baghpat city.
Both youths were the sole sons of their families. Prayag Kaushik's father, Rajendra Kaushik, is an Under Secretary at NITI Aayog. His mother and two sisters live at home. Kapil's father, Rajesh, works in a private company.
Prayag's uncle, Devilal, said, "Both boys had passed their B.Tech a year ago. As soon as they received their degrees on Monday, they were going to the Neelkanth Temple to offer prayers for their job wish. Construction was ongoing on the highway, so proper barricading and signboards should have been installed. The children lost their lives due to the negligence of the officials. Several accidents have occurred here before, but no action has been taken."
This accident has occurred at a time when the inauguration of the Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Expressway (approximately 210 km long) is scheduled to be done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14, 2026. After its inauguration, the distance between Delhi and Dehradun will be covered in just two and a half hours. Currently, entry-exit points have been constructed on the expressway, but the entire route is not yet open to the public.
The police have sent the bodies for post-mortem and have begun an investigation into the matter. Overspeeding and an error in Google Maps are being cited as the primary causes of the accident.