12 policemen injured after vehicle overturns

Twelve policemen were injured in a road accident at Islampur Crossing on National Highway 31 on Sunday. The driver of the speeding police vehicle lost control while taking a sharp turn and overturned. Local source said that it was raining heavily when the accident took place which caused a delay in initiating the rescue work.

When police reached the spot, they found local people already trying to rescue the victims. The injured policemen were taken to Islampur Sub Divisional Hospital.

Later, cranes were brought to lift the vehicle. After the vehicle was lifted, police found some more policemen trapped under it. They had injuries all over their bodies and were bleeding profusely. The conditions of some of the injured persons were stated to be critical. The incident led to trouble in the area as local people protested against the delay in initiating the rescue work. They also alleged that racing of vehicles often lead to fatal accidents here.

Some local people said that the police vehicle was racing with a private bus, but the police officer investigating the incident ruled out their allegation.

In another incident, West Midnapore police detained three persons on Sunday in connection with a case on Friday night where an irate mob set 11 trucks on fire following a road accident in which a biker was killed near Lohatekri.

The incident had triggered tension in the area and some of the local residents had staged demonstration near the accident site. The incident took place when a truck hit a motorbike rider. Police rushed to the spot immediately to bring to situation under control.