A 17-year-old schoolboy, riding his father's bike without a helmet, was fatally injured when an unidentified vehicle hit him near Sector IX, Bokaro steel city, late on Tuesday evening.

Nishant Kumar, a bright Class XI student of DAV School who was also coaching for IIT-JEE, died of head injuries at Bokaro General Hospital around midnight.

His death spurred an angry, but brief, protest against alleged medical negligence by students on the hospital premises, which was quelled by senior doctors who assured Nishant's friends and classmates that the emergency team had done its best to save the teenager, but his injuries were too severe.

A native of Lakhisarai in Bihar, Nishant stayed in a rented house in Sector IV of the steel city. Around 9.45pm on Tuesday, he was returning home after an evening out with friends when his bike, a gift from his landlord father and registered in the name of the latter since Nishant was a minor, was hit.

The impact sent the boy sprawling on the road, headfirst. As he lay writhing in pain, some passers-by spotted him and rushed him to hospital, where he died two hours later.

'Nishant was a good student. He cleared Class X with high first division. He was also preparing to crack IIT-JEE. The hospital did not treat him properly. Had the doctors responded to the emergency well, Nishant might have lived,' said a friend who participated in the protest.

Sanjay Tewary, chief of communications of Bokaro Steel, which runs the general hospital reiterated what senior doctors had told the agitating students. 'The boy was brought to hospital with multiple injuries, including grievous ones on the head. Our doctors tried their best, but unfortunately he could not be saved,' he said.

Alarmingly, this was the sixteenth fatal accident in Bokaro district since February 1. Most of the mishaps had bikers without helmets as victims.

The accident toll rose to 17 on Wednesday morning when another biker died on NH-32, which connects Purulia district in neighbouring Bengal with Chas in Bokaro.

Shankar Singh (46) and friend Mihir Singh (34)were returning from Purulia around 9am when an SUV hit Shankar's bike near Pindrajora, 16km from Bokaro steel city. Both were rushed to Bokaro General Hospital, where Shankar was declared brought dead. Mihir's condition stabilised later in the day.

Cases against unidentified persons, driving the absconding killer vehicles, have been lodged at Sector IX and Pindrajora thanas.

Police said like the schoolboy Shankar and Mihir, who was riding pillion, were not wearing helmets.

How can helmet-less biking be curbed in Bokaro?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com