Post News Network
Bahanaga, Nov 30: An engineering student of Betada village died in an accident near Tinipada diversion on the National Highway-5 under this block of Balasore district Sunday.
The incident triggered tension in the locality with hordes of angry people trooping to the NH and blocking it for six hours by burning tyres. Vehicular movement came to a grinding halt on the highway.
The deceased was identified as Saroj Mallick (24), son of Ramakanta Mallick, of Panapana panchayat.
Saroj was on his way home after a morning walk when a Mahindra Bolero hit him from rear. He died on the spot while the vehicle turned turtle on the road. However, the driver managed to escape after the mishap.
On being informed, police rushed to the spot and tried to tow away the vehicle. This enraged the people, who went on a rampage and forced the police to leave the vehicle as it was. The agitating people accused the police of favouring car owners.
Police from Sadar police station and Kahatapada tried to pacify the angry crowd, but the latter refused to budge from staging protest. They blocked the road, demanding compensation to the bereaved family and transfer of the local IIC.
Hundreds of trucks and buses remained stranded on both sides of the highway.
SDPO PC Badajena, Sadar police station IIC Chandan Ghadei, Khantapada IIC Shankarshan Dalei, Remuna tehsildar Binay Kumar Mohanty and Bahanaga additional tehsildar Ratnakar Kandi rushed to the spot and assured compensation to the bereaved family. Rs 10,000 was immediately released from the district Red Cross fund following which the agitators relented.
