YOUTH KILLED, HALF A DOZEN INJURED

YOUTH KILLED, HALF A DOZEN INJURED

17-MAY-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

BHABHUA-------------------------In a horrific road accident on the Mohania-Bhabhua road, a young man died on the spot, while about half a dozen people sustained serious injuries. Following the accident, irate villagers blocked the road and raised slogans against the administration, protesting the delayed arrival of the police and ambulances. According to reports, the incident occurred around 11:00 AM near the Urdu Middle School in Babura village, situated on the Bhabhua–Mohania road. It is alleged that an out-of-control pickup vehicle, speeding from the direction of Mohania, first violently collided with a motorcyclist traveling from Belanv to Mohania. The impact was so severe that the motorcyclist—Dharmendra Paswan, a resident of Chanki (under the Belanv police station jurisdiction)—died on the spot. Meanwhile, the second youth riding on the motorcycle—reportedly a resident of Ahiranv village—sustained serious injuries.

According to eyewitnesses, the pickup driver did not stop the vehicle even after the initial collision. A short distance ahead, near the mosque in Babura village, the same pickup vehicle violently rammed into an e-rickshaw. In this subsequent collision, three people—including a woman—who were traveling in the e-rickshaw sustained serious injuries. Following the accidents, the driver fled the scene along with the vehicle. Local residents immediately alerted the police and ambulance services; however, villagers allege that neither an ambulance nor the police arrived for nearly two and a half hours. During this time, the deceased's body lay on the road, further fueling the public's outrage. The irate villagers blocked the main Bhabhua–Mohania road and began protesting against the administration. Meanwhile, with the assistance of local residents, all the injured victims were transported to the Bhabhua Sadar Hospital in private vehicles, where they are currently undergoing treatment. Approximately two and a half hours later, the Bhabhua police force arrived at the scene accompanied by three ambulances. After extensive persuasion and negotiation, the villagers finally calmed down; subsequently, the body was sent to the Bhabhua Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem examination, and the road blockade was lifted. A palpable atmosphere of tension and anger continues to prevail in the area following the incident. The police are engaged in investigating the case, and a search is underway for the absconding pickup driver.