Smashed windscreens of Matadors on Central Garden Reach Road, site of mob fury after a fatal mishap. Picture by Amit Datta

Four mishaps in a span of six hours on Sunday claimed three lives, injured four people, triggered violence in the port area and spurred allegations of lax traffic vigil on public holidays.

About 500 residents of Watgunge went on the rampage for over three hours after a private bus crushed Feroze Khan, 33, under its wheels at the unmanned Ramnagar crossing around 1.45pm. The mob smashed the windscreens of 27 Matadors and trucks parked along Central Garden Reach Road and Taratala Road.

Khan, a resident of Meher Manzil, died soon after being knocked down. As soon as the news of his death spread, hundreds of youths from Alibnagar and Meher Manzil rushed to the spot. They smashed the windscreens with sticks.

A few officers from Watgunge police station reached the spot but remained spectators to the violence, realising that they were outnumbered.

The situation was brought under control by a large contingent of policemen who arrived later. Senior officers told the agitators that their demands would be considered. The driver of the killer bus was arrested.

“Residents had put up a blockade at the crossing, demanding deployment of traffic police at the Ramnagar intersection on Sundays and other public holidays. They also told the officers that speed-breakers would have to be erected on roads leading to the intersection,” said joint commissioner (traffic) Ranveer Kumar.

In the morning, a truck belonging to the Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s conservancy department ran over 55-year-old Kamal Sapui at the Park Circus seven-point crossing. The truck, which was coming from Mullickbazar, crushed Sapui while he was trying to cross the road. He was taken to National Medical College and Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

A man in his mid-40s, identified as Rameshwar Gupta, died after being mowed down by an unidentified vehicle at the crossing of Strand Road and Woodburn Road. Gupta, a resident of Surendranath Banerjee Lane, succumbed to his injuries on the way to Medical College and Hospital.

Four people were injured when two private cars collided on Bridge No. 4 around 2pm. They were admitted to National Medical College and Hospital. The condition of two of them was stated to be critical.

A senior officer of the traffic department admitted that vigil was lax on Sundays and public holidays. “On a weekday, more than 3,000 traffic policemen are deployed in the city. On Sundays and other holidays, the number is barely 700,” he said.