Two killed in bus accidents across state

Two persons, including a student, were killed in two separate road accidents in the state.

Bikash Maji (16), a student of Class X, was returning home along the Haldia-Mecheda Road after attending a private tuition class on Monday morning when a bus hit him at Tamluk in East Midnapore. The incident triggered tension in the area with the local people staging a protest against the rash driving of the vehicle.

The agitation was lifted after the police assured them that the driver of the vehicle would soon be arrested. The local residents told the police that the bus was being driven at a very high speed as a result of which the driver lost control of the vehicle when the victim suddenly appeared in front of it.

The victim, a resident of Narandabari under Tamluk police station, had been seriously injured in the accident. The locals rushed him to Tamluk district hospital where he was declared brought dead. Police have seized the bus but the driver of the vehicle fled the spot immediately after the accident. The authorities are conducting raids to nab the absconding bus driver.

In another incident, a cyclist was mowed down by a speeding bus at Kalpur area near Jessore road in Bongaon on Sunday night. Local residents told the police that the cyclist, identified as Bablu Sadhu (50), was riding his bi-cycle when the bus hit him from behind. Sadhu, a resident of Purbapara area in Bongaon, had received severe injuries on various parts of his body. The local residents took the victim to Bongaon sub-divisional hospital, where he was pronounced brought dead by the doctors. Police have seized the bus but are yet to arrest the driver of the vehicle, who has been absconding since the accident took place.