Cop dead, at least 15 hurt after bus hits Fort William wall

KOLKATA: A constable of the Kolkata Police, Vivekananda Dab, was killed in a tragic road accident after a minibus hit his motorcycle in front of Fort William main gate on Thursday afternoon.

After hitting the cop, the minibus hit the wall of Fort William. About 15 passengers of the bus suffered injuries and were treated in SSKM Hospital.

Among them, four persons were kept under observation while others were discharged after necessary treatment. Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Soumen Mitra, visited the spot and enquired about the accident.

"Mechanical examination of the minibus will be done. Cause of the accident can be ascertained after the test," Mitra said.

On Thursday, the Howrah-bound minibus from Metiabruz carrying about 25 passengers was passing through Red Road. While crossing the Jenson and Nicholson (J and N) island in front of the Fort William Eastern gate, the driver lost control and hit Dab's motorcycle. Dab and his motorcycle got stuck under the minibus. The Army personnel performing duty at the Eastern gate and traffic police came to the rescue of the passengers. After lifting the bus using a crane, Dab was rescued and rushed to SSKM where he was declared brought dead.

It is suspected that the steering of the minibus malfunctioned while taking the turn at the island. The investigation of the case has been taken over by the Fatal Squad Traffic Police (FSTP). The driver and the conductor, however, managed to flee the spot.