Kolkata: A 50-year-old man lost his life and a police constable was seriously injured in two accidents in the city on the day of Holi. The accidents occurred at Panchannagram on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and the Haldiram old cut on VIP Road.
Three others escaped with minor injuries in two other accidents on Bypass.
According to Tiljala traffic guard and cops, Madhusudan Kirtaniya (50), a resident of Martinpara, was hit by a car when he attempted to cross the Science City-bound flank when the traffic signal was green. He was rushed to Ruby Hospital, where he died after a few hours.
The car involved in the accident has been identified.
In the second accident, Prabhat Orao, a constable with Bidhannagar Police, was severely injured on Friday night. Orao was managing traffic on the Ultadanga-bound flank when he saw an old man crossing the road and raised his hand to stop the oncoming traffic. Even as one car came to a halt, another car rammed into it from behind. This car then hit Orao who came directly under it. Orao has been shifted to a hospital, where doctors said they can only declare him safe after 72 hours.
Two more accidents were reported from Mandirtala cut of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, where two men travelling in a car were injured on Friday evening, and the other near Uttar Panchannagram, where an 18-year-old pedestrian was hit by a private car.
Kolkata Traffic Police claimed that Behala, Garia, and Jadavpur saw the maximum number of drink-drive cases. The crackdown during Holi led to 200 persons being pulled up for drunk driving. Another 161 persons were arrested for creating nuisance on the road.