Policemen attacked after sand-laden truck kills youth
The Statesman | 9 August 2025
Tension erupted in Kanksa near Durgapur this morning after a youth was crushed to death by a lorry carrying illegally extracted sand.
Enraged locals clashed with police officers who arrived at the scene.
Krishna Bauri (25), a resident of Selampur in Kanksa, was cycling to the Panagarh market when an overloaded lorry, speeding in from the Damodar riverbank, rammed into him from behind. He was run over and died on the spot.
In response, angry residents blocked lorries in the area and began ransacking them. When police attempted to intervene, they were chased and assaulted by the mob. A police vehicle was also vandalised during the chaos.
Outnumbered, officers had to resort to tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. A large contingent of the combat force later arrived and managed to rescue the trapped officers after nearly seven hours.
Four policemen sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital.
Deputy commissioner of police, Abhishek Gupta, said: “The situation is under control now. We have deployed a police patrol in the area.”