Pakur: Public outrage swept through Jharkhand’s Pakur district on Tuesday after a school bus ran over a young delivery boy near the district headquarters, triggering massive protests and forcing markets to shut down.
Following the incident, hundreds of residents poured onto the streets, blocking key roads across the city. The intensity of the protest was such that police were initially unable to send the victim’s body for post-mortem examination.
The accident took place around 9 a.m. near Gandhi Chowk, one of the busiest junctions in Pakur, when a school bus collided with a scooter ridden by the victim. The youth suffered a critical head injury and died on the spot.
The deceased was identified as Mridul Saha, about 18 years old, a resident of Talwadanga village. Family members said he worked as a delivery executive with a quick-commerce company and was the sole earning member of the family.
As word of the accident spread, large crowds gathered at the site. Protesters placed the body on the road near Gandhi Chowk and accused the police and administration of gross negligence.
They alleged that traffic arrangements in the area were chaotic and claimed that despite no-entry restrictions, buses and heavy vehicles were routinely allowed, resulting in frequent accidents.
Demonstrators erected barricades and blocked major routes, completely paralysing traffic. Long vehicle queues formed across the city, causing widespread inconvenience to commuters.
Tensions escalated further when protesters reached the city police station, where they burnt tyres and shouted slogans against the police. They demanded immediate seizure of the school bus, arrest of the driver, and compensation for the victim’s family.
Senior police officials, including the officer-in-charge of the city police station, reached the spot and held talks with the protesters. After assurances of a fair probe and strict action, the protesters lifted the road blockade at around 4 p.m.
With inputs from IANS