The damaged windscreen of the truck that crushed a youth in Howrah on Sunday. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

East West Road, in Howrah, turned into a battlefield after a youth was run over by a truck on Sunday afternoon. A group of local residents damaged three trucks and three buses to protest rash driving.

Police said Aakash Paswan, alias Chintu, a resident of Madhusudan Pal Choudhury Road, was on his motorcycle when he was hit by the truck from behind.

Paswan lost his balance and fell on the road and was crushed under the rear wheels of the truck. As the news reached his locality, a group of neighbours rushed to the spot and started pelting stones at vehicles. They blocked the road for more than an hour.

A group of slum-dwellers joined the protest and ransacked Belilious Park, off East West Road, which is being restored and beautified.

Officers from Bantra police station rushed to the spot, but couldn’t control the mob, which broke the glass ticket counter and damaged the toy train in the park. As the mob outnumbered the police, reinforcements were called in to disperse the protesters.

Superintendent of Howrah police Niraj Kumar Singh said: “The truck driver has been arrested and the vehicle impounded. The situation is under control.”