Kolkata: A 58-year-old man, Dipak Kundu, out on an evening walk outside his Baguiati home was severely injured and is currently on ventilation after being hit by a speeding retrofitted electric rickshaw on Friday. Cops said that acting on a complaint lodged by the man's daughter, they arrested the e-rickshaw driver, Bablu Mondal, two days after the accident. However, since these vehicles do not come under the purview of the Motor Vehicles Act, Mondal was granted bail. The vehicle, however, was seized. His family pleads for tougher rules and laws against the errant high-speed three-wheelers. "Eyewitnesses have told me that he was flung off the road and fell at a distance as the accused fled the spot," said Susmita Paul, Kundu's daughter. "When I reached, I found my father unconscious, bleeding from his head, arms, and other parts. He hasn't come back to his senses yet.
"Paul said doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital advised Kundu to be put on ventilation, but no machine was available at the hospital. "We had no option but to admit him to a private hospital. In just two days, the bill has crossed Rs 1 lakh. We don't know how to manage the medical expenses now," she said.