A vegetable vendor has died of his injuries, and eight other people are critically injured, after a film and television director’s car allegedly veered into a crowded Kolkata market after he lost control of the wheel on Sunday morning.

At around 9 am in the Thakurpukur area, Siddhant Das, 35, allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, lost control of his black SUV. The vehicle was travelling from Bakrahat towards Gariahat.

Following the crash, enraged residents vandalised the car and physically assaulted Das before police took him into custody. Authorities also detained a woman who was travelling with Das. Police reported that a second woman, who was in the back seat, fled the scene. Upon inspection of the vehicle, police allegedly found four bottles of liquor. An FIR has been filed and a probe is on.

Aminur Rahman, 63, a vegetable vendor at the market, sustained severe injuries and was rushed to a private hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the SUV ploughed through parked two-wheelers and hit several pedestrians before finally stopping after colliding with another scooter. Manzoor Rahman, Aminur’s nephew, claimed that he saw the vehicle crash into at least seven people, including those on scooters and bikes. Another witness claimed that the woman in the front passenger seat of his car repeatedly urged Das to flee the scene.