Mob damages buses, block traffic after N Kol accident
Times of India | 1 January 2025
12345 Kolkata: Telegabagan in north Kolkata turned into a battleground for half an hour after a mob ransacked three buses and blocked the Ultadanga Main Road-Muraripukur Road crossing. This occurred after a bus plying on Route L-238 hit a 62-year-old woman while she was trying to cross the busy road late on Tuesday morning. The woman runs an eatery in the area.
The victim, Anima Dutta, is reported to be in critical condition and might require a limb amputation.New Year SpecialUnbelievable! 2025's most powerful zodiac predictions are here50+ Happy New Year 2025 Wishes & Quotes to share joy and cheerNumerology 1-9: What the numbers hold for us next yearShe is being treated at RG Kar Hospital.
According to police, around 10.45 am, Dutta, a resident of Duttabagan, was returning to her eatery after buying vegetables from the Muchibazar market.
"She saw that the traffic light was still red and tried to hurriedly cross the road. The bus was on the right lane and had not yet reached the crossing when she tried crossing it. It accelerated as there was another bus of Route 91C right behind it, trying to overtakew a third bus that was on the left lane. One of the bus wheels went over Dutta's legs," said an investigating officer.
Within minutes, locals from a nearby slum and from the market converged at the spot. Both drivers fled. A third bus, plying on the Bagbazar-Garia route, was stopped and its passengers deboarded. For the next 10-15 minutes, the mob ransacked all three buses.
Animesh Roy, a local resident, said: "The L-238 bus was being driven recklessly. It had tried to overtake from the right and was trying to stop after crossing the bus stop. There was competition between two buses headed towards VIP Road," claimed Roy.
When a large force from Maniktala and Ultadanga police stations reached the spot, they were resisted. Locals blocked both flanks, leading to a traffic jam. "We had difficulty bringing the ambulance to the spot. Finally, the protesters relented and we could send her to hospital in a taxi. It took around 30 minutes to open the Hatibagan-bound flank," said an officer.
It took 45 minutes for traffic to open the Ultadanga-bound flank. However, when cops tried removing the damaged buses, the protesters squatted on this flank again. It was after over an hour that traffic on both flanks could finally be restored.
Police said most of those involved in the rioting are from local slums. "There was resentment over repeated traffic prosecution of their two-wheelers in the past week. Several of these youths were also rounded up for the RG Kar vandalism and though they are out on bail, some feel they require vindication. Thus, the accident gave these people the exact reason to take the law into their hands," said a police officer.
Local MLA Supti Pandey spoke to mayor Firhad Hakim and senior officers at Lalbazar. Cops said it has been decided to set up speed breakers at the earliest.
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