Kolkata: A 29-year-old woman’s persistent battle for justice forced Kolkata Police to act a month after she met with a road accident along with three others. An FIR was finally registered on Saturday against the driver of a Mercedes-Benz, more than a month after the accident, after the woman wrote to commissioner Ajay Nand and DCP (South) Rahul De about her ordeal.
The accident took place on June 7 near the Race Course. The complainant, Durga Gupta, a resident of Chetla Hat, alleged that the Mercedes hit their cab head-on while trying to overtake another car. A goods vehicle then hit the cab from the rear.
All four passengers suffered serious injuries. They were taken to SSKM. Gupta needed 20 stitches. She also suffered a bone dislocation. Her sister received six stitches on her head.
The victims alleged that on the night of the accident, officers came to the hospital but refused to complete the required medicolegal case paperwork. The officers allegedly told the family that the formalities could be completed the next day. However, when the victims returned on June 8 and 9, the police did not act.
When they went to Hastings Police Station, the police allegedly refused to register an FIR. A police officer reportedly told them that since the app cab driver and the Mercedes owner already reached a settlement, the passengers had no right to take legal action.
After recovering, Gupta wrote to the commissioner and the DCP (South). Senior police officers then directed Hastings Police Station to register an FIR. Hastings Police claimed they were not at fault. They said a general diary was made soon after the accident, but there was no written complaint at that time. According to police, the FIR was registered after the probe indicated that an accident took place.