Jaipur: Police Wednesday registered an FIR against the deceased driver and an undisclosed owner of a chemical tanker that triggered a massive blaze on the Jaipur–Ajmer National Highway near Dudu late Tuesday night, after it rammed into a stationary truck loaded with LPG cylinders.DSP (Dudu), Deepak Khandelwal, identified the deceased tanker driver as Ram Raj Meena, who was traced through his family. “An FIR has been registered against the tanker driver and the vehicle owner for negligent and reckless driving,” Khandelwal said.SHO (Mokhampura) Jai Prakash said FIR was filed by one of the affected truck drivers. He said while the tanker driver died, one person was injured in the accident.The inferno began with what seemed like an ordinary late-night dinner halt at road side hotel, popular among long-haul truckers. Within moments, however, the stretch near Mokhampura turned into a highway to hell.Around 10pm, the Light Liquid Paraffin (LLP)-laden tanker came hurtling down the parking outside the hotel, swerving out of control before smashing into a goods carrier and then careening into another truck packed with LPG cylinders. The collision set off a chain of blasts that sent fireballs into the night sky and nearby fields.Sources said that the tanker was transporting LLP from Gujarat to Himachal Pradesh. However, on the back of the vehicle, the chemical was mentioned as Benzene. An FSL team comprising Mahesh Chandra, Vinay Sharma, Lokendra Tyagi and Kundan collected samples. In the morning, there was a brief moment when tanker began to leak but it was contained swiftly.Hotel worker Bal Ram said the LPG truck’s driver and others just sat down to eat when the crash occurred. “I was behind the tandoor when the drivers dropped their plates and ran towards their vehicles. They tried to pull out the tanker’s driver trapped in the cabin but couldn’t reach him,” he recalled.Usman Khan, who owns the hotel property, said sparks flew moments later. “We heard a sound like electric sparks and suddenly the tanker’s tyres were on fire,” Khan said. Within minutes, LPG cylinders on the truck began exploding one after another.“The ground trembled like an earthquake,” said Vijendra Singh, who lives 3-km away. The blasts damaged nearby structures — the hotel’s tin shed collapsed, shutters of a newly opened shack were blown off and a deep crack ran through the building’s wall.The explosions were heard as far as 15-km away. Teams from Bhankrota, Bagru, Mokhampura, and Mozmabad police stations rushed to the spot to block traffic coming on both sides. “Teams were stationed strategically to keep vehicles away from the danger zone,” said Khandelwal.Fire officer Devang Yadav said his team battled the blaze under clear and present danger. “We had to take the risk to ensure the tanker carrying chemicals didn’t explode. One fire tender kept pouring water on it continuously from night till noon,” he said.By 1.30am, the flames were largely under control. When firefighters finally reached the tanker’s cabin, they found the remains of the driver. “There was no flesh left — only bones and fragments that had to be packed into a single poly bag,” Yadav said.
Ajmer NH inferno: FIR against dead truck driver, owner | Jaipur News
