A scooterist was seriously injured after being knocked down by a speeding car in Siliguri's Babupara late on Monday, triggering fresh concerns over road safety in the city.
Injured Ankita Das, a resident of New Jalpaiguri and in her mid-20s, was returning home on her two-wheeler when the car rammed into her and dragged her on the road for some metres.
Ankita was rushed to a private nursing home near Tinbatti More in southern Siliguri, where she is being treated.
Doctors said she suffered multiple injuries but was currently stable.
Police officers collected CCTV footage from cameras installed in the locality to identify the vehicle involved. Based on footage and a probe, the driver of the speeding vehicle was arrested and the car was impounded.
On Wednesday, Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb visited the nursing home to inquire after Ankita.
Expressing concern over recurring accidents, the mayor promised stricter steps to enhance road safety.
“I met Ankita at the nursing home. Police have arrested the driver involved in the accident. Considering the repeated incidents of hit-and-run cases in the city, I will hold a meeting with traffic department officials to discuss strong and effective measures to prevent such mishaps,” Deb said.
The accident comes close on the heels of a tragic case on Sevoke Road, a prominent thoroughfare in Siliguri, where a youth lost his life and a girl walking with him suffered serious injuries after both were hit by a speeding vehicle. The police arrested the driver and recovered the vehicle.
Motorcyclist killed
A 33-year-old motorcyclist was killed when another two-wheeler hit him and a truck mowed him down in Malda's Raipur around 10am on Tuesday.
The deceased, Amit Gupta, a resident of Aaiho-Sonarpara in Habibpur block, worked as a private car driver.
On Tuesday morning, he was going to Malda town on his bike via the Malda–Nalagola state highway to collect his salary when his vehicle was hit from behind by another, flinging him onto the road. Before he could get up, a speeding truck ran over him.
Residents rushed him to a rural hospital in Old Malda, where doctors declared him dead.
Additional reporting by our correspondent in Malda