Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 | Last Update : 12:27 PM IST
Kolkata: Three killed as SUV rams into crowd
Incident leaves 18, mostly kids, injured
Kolkata: Three persons including a teenaged girl were killed in a road accident at Belvedere Road-AJC Bose Road crossing in Alipore on Monday afternoon when a speeding Volkswagen first hit a bus, then rammed into two motorcycles and eventually ploughed into a group of pedestrians on the pavement.
The group had come to the city for sightseeing from Bhangor in South 24 Parganas district. They were returning from the Alipore Zoo.
One of them was Halima Khatun (15) from Mathurapur in Chendeshwar who lost her life in the accident. Two others victims were Sushanta Mondal (52), a resident of Yadav Ghosh Road in Sarsuna, and Rajib Kumar Roy (35) of Ramnagar Mondalpara in Maheshtala.
The vehicle reportedl jumped the traffic signal around 2.05 pm and hit a bus and two motorcycles coming from the opposite direction. It then mounted the pavement where it hit 20 people, police said. Two of them were killed on the spot while another succumbed to injuries at SSKM Hospital.
Seventeen others, many of whom were teenagers and children, were left injured. They were later admitted to SSKM Hospital. The accused, Saroj Kumar Banik (37), also suffered injuries. He will be arrested once he recovers from his injuries, said a senior officer of the Hastings police station.
The resident of Alipur Park Road and two injured motorcycle riders — Shyamal Pal (43) of Dashdrone in Rajarhat and Shubhojit Sen (26) of Bangur Avenue in Lake Town — have been admitted to Curzon Ward.
Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, urban development minister Firhad Hakim and PWD minister Aroop Biswas rushed to the hospital. Mr Chatterjee said, “Three persons were killed. 18 others were injured. Many of them were released after first-aid. Condition of seven is critical,” Mr Chatterjee said.
Mr Hakim said, “There was gross violation of traffic rules which led to the accident. The police is investigating the condition in which the driver was at the wheels. It was a sad incident.”
The police said the sedan belongs to tea merchant Sharad Bajoria, one of the directors of New Chumta Tea Company.
