In a shocking incident, immediately after two persons were killed by a speeding bus on E.M Bypass in Kolkata on Saturday morning, raging angry locals went on a rampage and clashed with the police. Following the death of two students who were crushed by a bus heading towards Salt Lake that jumped signal, the angry mob came down on streets and torched vehicles, according to police sources. The duo was riding bicycles around 11:15 am when the incident happened and died at the spot. Thereafter, alleging lack of proper awareness and surveillance of road rage, locals from nearby areas of Shantinagar and Sukantapally pelted a barrage of stones on the cops who came to control them. The cops’ attempt to control the mob was rendered helpless as the crowd ran riot and torched four buses, vandalised a police vehicle and attacked a fire engine that tried to snuff out the fire, despite police’s effort to cane the agitated mob.
According to reports, tensions prevailed at the Chingrighata crossing after the bus tried to take a sudden u-turn and in the process mowed down the two youths, as a result traffic movement was hit and later protesters blocked the Garia to Ultadanga route. Till afternoon, the route was blocked by the irked mob, only when police resorted to throw tear gas shells the crowd dispersed and the route was cleared. Police forces from Lalbazar were rushed to the spot. TMC leader Sujit Bose also visited the spot to take stock of the situation, spoke to the victims’ families and assured them of rapid justice. The situation turned to normal state only after 2:30 pm after four hours of rampage and drama and a side of EM Bypass was opened for traffic.
Early in January, a 22-year-old youth was crushed to death, in a road rage between two buses, under the wheels of a minibus en-route to Picnic Garden from Howrah near Paddapukur on CIT Road after the bus driver tried to flee along with the vehicle. The driver was trying to avoid arrest, while the victim was walking along the sidelines and tried to pick up his phone when the bus mowed him down.