An 11-year-old boy and a senior citizen were killed after a speeding car allegedly driven by a BJP youth wing leader rammed into a group of people sitting around a bonfire in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, police said on Saturday.

According to eyewitnesses, the car was travelling from Porsa towards Jotai at a high speed when the driver lost control and veered off the road, crashing into people who had gathered around a roadside bonfire to keep warm on a cold winter night.

The victims were identified as Ramdatt Rathore (65) and Arnav alias Annu Lashkar (11). Both sustained critical injuries and were rushed to the divisional headquarters hospital in Gwalior for advanced medical treatment. However, doctors declared them dead after midnight.

Police said post-mortem examinations will be conducted on Saturday, after which the bodies will be brought to Porsa for the last rites.

Three others — Kamlesh Rathore, Girraj Rathore, and Abhishek Tomar — were also injured in the incident and are currently undergoing treatment. Their condition is reported to be stable.

Locals said there was chaos at the spot following the crash. Enraged residents allegedly thrashed the accused before handing him over to the police. The accused has been identified as the Porsa urban mandal president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP’s youth wing.

Police officials said the accused was initially taken into custody but managed to escape, triggering a search operation. He was re-apprehended in the early hours of the day.

A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident, including allegations of overspeeding and negligence, police added.