A Class X student, on her way to private tuition, was crushed under the wheels of a speeding dairy van on NH-23, 5km from Bokaro steel city, on Tuesday morning, triggering a roadblock for more than two hours.
Police have lodged a hit-and-run case against the unidentified vehicle.
Family sources said Rehana Khatun (16), a student of Moin Haque High School in Sivandih and resident of Railway Gate Colony, left home for the coaching centre, only 400 metres away, around 6.30am and met with the accident in Maraphari police station area soon thereafter. She was the eldest among three daughters of small-time businessman Mohammed R.S. Ansari.
According to eyewitness Salman Ansari, whose house is a stone's throw from the highway accident spot, the dairy van was at fault. "The girl was pedalling slowly along the left flank of the road when the goods vehicle, coming from the opposite direction, lost control near a sharp bend. The vehicle was in top gear. It knocked the girl off her cycle seat and then ran her over before speeding away. It was too late to save her," Ansari said.
The fatal accident spurred mass resentment, with residents from Sivandih and Railway Gate Colony blocking the highway. Relatives of Rehana demanded speed breakers on the stretch for the safety of hundreds of schoolchildren who use NH-23 to reach their respective campuses. A section of protesters also demanded compensation for the bereaved family.
As the blockade continued past 9am, many students of Holy Cross School, Balidih High School and Jaina More High School were forced to walk to their campuses along the highway.
Later, Bokaro DSP Ajay Kumar reached the spot and managed to reason with the residents. He promised help for the family from the district administration and convinced the protesters to lift the blockade around 9.15am. "It is a tragic incident. We will try our best to bring the dairy van to book. A hit-and-run case has been registered at Maraphari thana," the DSP said.
Rehana's batchmate Reshma Khatun, who took tuitions with her, said they had barely reached the coaching centre near Sivandih when the news of the accident reached them. "We rushed to the spot. I could not believe my eyes. Rehana was lying lifeless in a pool of blood. She was so good in academics and had topped her class for the past two years. I still can't believe she is no more," sobbed Reshma.
Rehana's parents and sisters were in a state of shock and refused to speak to the media.
