Father, minor die after being hit by speeding truck

Kolkata: Garden Reach area in the city turned into a battle field on Monday night when an irate mob ransacked a truck and attacked policemen following a road accident in which a person and her 3-year-old daughter were killed.

The mob later set the vehicle on fire. A scuffle also broke out between the police and locals triggering tension in the area.

Police had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the mob. A policeman was injured in the incident when someone pelted stones at him. Tension got escalated when the mob went on rampage, ransacking some other vehicles and later put up a road blockade resulting in huge traffic congestion in the area.

A huge contingent of police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

Afzar Ali was returning home on his motorcycle with his wife and 3-year-old daughter. They were returning from a relative's house at Rajabagan. They were the residents of Garden Reach area. When they were crossing Imambazar area, a truck hit the motorcycle. Ali and his daughter died on the spot, while the woman was admitted to a local hospital with critical injuries in her body.

The truck driver, however, fled the spot immediately after the accident. The agitation was later lifted following the intervention of the senior police officers. Many vehicles including a bus were damaged in the incident.

According to the preliminary investigation, police suspect that the truck was running at a high speed at the time of the accident. The truck driver applied emergency brake when the bike suddenly came in front of the vehicle.