Four TMC leaders among 6 killed in road accident

Kolkata: Four Trinamool Congress leaders among six people were killed when a bus coming from the opposite direction rammed into their SUV.

The incident took place near Marishda area in East Midnapore on early Wednesday morning. The victims have been identified as Abdul Haji Kalam Sheikh (52), Haidar Ali (45), Deb Sagar Dey (42), Samar Ghosh (41), Pradip Das (36) and Asit Das (53). The deceased were all the residents of Murshidabad. They were going to Digha along the National Highway 116B.

A senior police officer of the district, Sheikh was in-charge of PWD affairs at Kandi Panchayat Samiti in Murshidabad, whereas Ali used to look after agricultural affairs. Dey and Ghosh were also Trinamool Congress leaders at Purandarpur gram panchayat. They started off from Kandi on Tuesday evening. Police said a bus was coming from the opposite direction when it collided head on with the car. It occurred when the bus tried to overtake a loaded truck. Five of them including the driver died on spot, while the sixth victim Asit Das succumbed after being taken to a hospital in the city.

Asit Das was a doctor by profession. According to police, some of the passengers travelling in the bus also received injuries in the accident. They were released after primary treatment in a nearby medical centre.Police said the car was at a high speed when it was hit by a Howrah-bound private bus that was returning

from Digha.

Locals told the police that they heard a loud thud and rushed to the spot only to find all the six passengers trapped inside the car. The frontal portion of the car was completely damaged in the accident. Police and locals faced difficulties in removing the bodies of the victims from inside the mangled car. Police cut a portion of the vehicle with a gas cutter and removed the bodies. Five of them died on spot, while one died after being taken to Kanthi Sub-divisional hospital. The frontal portion of the bus was also damaged

in the accident.

The incident triggered traffic congestion in the area on Wednesday morning. The vehicle was later removed from the place with the help of a crane. The driver of the bus fled the spot immediately after the accident. Police have seized the bus and ill-fated car. Police suspect that as the bus was also at a high speed while overtaking a truck. Dibyendu Adhikari, Trinamool Congress MP visited the hospital.