Four students of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala, were killed when their speeding Ford Endeavour hit another SUV and rammed into a tree on the Bhadson road early on Saturday.

Police said the four students, all in their early twenties, were returning from a dinner party when the accident occurred barely 50 metres from the university on the Patiala-Bhadson road at 2am.

The deceased were identified as Reet Kaur Virk, Ishan Sood, Rishabh Sehgal and Kushagra Yadav. While Reet is the daughter of Chandigarh-based Major RS Virk (retd), Ishan is the nephew of Chandigarh BJP leader and former mayor Arun Sood.

The driver of the Ford Endeavour with the four victims lost control after hitting the other SUV, an Isuzu pickup, in which two students were travelling. The four occupants of the Ford Endeavour died on the spot, while the Isuzu pickup overturned but the two students survived the accident.

University officials said four of the six students were in the final year and two were third-year students. They said the last exam of the academic session of the final year students had concluded on Friday.

Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh, who reached the accident site, appealed to students not to drink and drive. “It appears speeding after consuming alcohol led to the accident,” he said.

Government Rajindra Hospital and police sources said that the parents of the deceased students refused an inquiry and post-mortem following which the bodies were handed over to them.