Delivery boy dies in Salt Lake road mishap, protests erupt
The Statesman | 15 August 2025
A delivery worker died on Wednesday evening after getting trapped between a roadside railing and a burning car following a collision in Salt Lake, triggering violent protests by local residents that led to clashes with police.
The incident occurred near the No. 8 bridge between Kestopur and Salt Lake when a four-wheeler collided with a courier service vehicle, lost control and struck the roadside railing, police said. The car exploded moments later and was engulfed in flames. Eyewitnesses said the delivery worker, who was on a motorbike, got stuck between the railing and the burning vehicle. While occupants of the car were rescued, the worker could not be freed in time and died at the scene. Two others were injured, one critically, and taken to hospital. Fire services received the call at 5.40 p.m. and two engines were pressed into service.
Residents accused police of negligence. “The police were just filming videos instead of rescuing people,” one witness told reporters. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after some attempted to block traffic from both ends of the bridge. The situation turned into a pitched battle, with stones thrown from both sides for several minutes. A senior police officer denied inaction, saying officers rescued trapped passengers and sent them to hospital. “We had to use tear gas when protesters tried to block the road,” he said. The cause of the accident remains under investigation by Salt Lake East police station.