A mob torched three buses and a government jeep and damaged another five buses after five-year-old Pankaj Rai was run over by a speeding bus overtaking another on S.N. Banerjee Road, near Janbazar, in central Calcutta, on Tuesday night.
Five persons, including three girls, had a narrow escape as they managed to scamper across the road. Tempers ran high, with a few hundred residents of the area gathering on the spot moments after the accident.
The mob threw stones at policemen who reached the accident site, very close to New Market police station.
Pankaj’s father, Jaynath Rai, a casual labourer, said he and his son had left their 22, Uma Das Road residence to fetch some medicine for Pankaj’s mother, Sharda Devi.
“We had brought her from our village in Bihar for treatment. The doctor had prescribed some medicines and Pankaj accompanied me to fetch it from a shop in Janbazar,’’ said Jaynath.
Around 8.30 pm, after buying the medicines, father and son were on their way back home.
“At the intersection of S.N. Banerjee Road and Uma Das Lane, we waited for a few minutes before crossing the road. Spotting a gap in the traffic, we decided to cross,’’ Jaynath said.
Sanjay Choudhury, a witness, said Pankaj was a few yards ahead of him. “When he reached the middle of the road, a bus (WBR 2757), on route 34B, came hurtling down from the left, overtaking another bus (WB04-9569) on route 78/2,’’ Choudhury recounted.
“Pankaj was crushed under the front wheel. As the driver slammed the brake, three girls, Jaynath and I barely escaped getting run over,’’ he added. Bystanders were too stunned to react. In the confusion, the driver of the killer bus got off and fled with the conductors.
Soon, residents and commuters gathered on the spot. They stopped buses and the jeep.
Even as Jaynath clutched on to his son and hailed a taxi to take him to Medical College and Hospital, the mob went on the rampage — setting the buses and the jeep on fire.
New Market police and officers of the south traffic guard rushed to the spot but were outnumbered by the stone-pelting mob. Police said four cops suffered minor injuries.
Later at night, acting deputy commissioner of police, central, P. Ravi, arrived with reinforcements and lathicharged the mob to disperse it.
Jaynath said Pankaj was his only son, born after five daughters. “We had woven a lot of dreams around him,’’ he sobbed, as policemen tried to console him. The Lalbazar traffic control room said initial investigations revealed that “the brakes and clutch of the killer bus were faulty.’’
