Minor crushed to death by speeding truck in Kolkata, massive protests erupt

Kolkata, August 4

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A minor boy died and his father was critically injured on Friday morning after a speeding truck hit them at Behala Chowrasta area here, triggering massive protests by locals who torched several vehicles, officials said.

RAF personnel in large numbers were deployed, and police baton-charged protesters and fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control, they said.

A few policemen, including Kolkata Police Joint CP (Traffic) Rupesh Kumar, suffered injuries, the officials said.

The father of the deceased boy, Souranil Sarkar, is undergoing treatment at state-run SSKM Hospital. Souranil was a student of Class 2 at Barisha High School.

The accident took place around 6.30 am, shortly after which protests erupted, with locals setting afire a number of police vehicles and private buses, they said.

Traffic was disrupted on the busy Diamond Harbour Road for at least two hours, a police officer said.

The truck driver has been apprehended from Santragachi and the vehicle was impounded, he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sought a report about the incident from Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.

“The traffic police were present at the spot when the accident took place. We will launch a detailed investigation, which will also ascertain whether there was any lapse,” Goyal told reporters.