West Bengal accident: Four students, critically injured, were rushed to Kolkata.
Angry locals today chased and assaulted a senior police officer in West Midnapore district near Kolkata after an auto-rickshaw collided with a truck, killing two students and leaving nine injured. The police rushed to the spot to control the situation and rescue the inspector, who was then taken away in a wheel chair.
The accident took place at around 9:30 am on NH 60. The students were heading towards Bhadutala High School, 140 kilometers away from Kolkata, from Midnapore town in an auto-rickshaw.
About 8 kilometres from the school, the tyre of a truck burst, leading to loss of control and it crashed into the auto-rickshaw. Four students, critically injured, were rushed to Kolkata. Others have been admitted to a hospital in Midnapore.
Locals complained that accidents in that stretch of road were frequent. Blaming the police for inaction, a mob chased the senior inspector from the local police station, threw him on the road before assaulting. A huge police force was rushed in to control the situation.
Drivers of both the truck and the auto-rickshaw are missing.
This is not the first instance of locals attacking police.
In March, angry locals including youngsters in school uniforms went on a rampage in West Bengal's Murshidabad after a road accident. The mob also chased the police personnel, who rushed to control the situation, injuring several.
In January, a mob in South 24 Parganas district near Kolkata vandalised a private car and tried to set it on fire after it rammed five students, killing three of them and leaving two others severely injured. Police, who rushed to the spot to control the situation, were attacked with bricks leaving several injured.