An alleged drunken brawl in a bar spilled onto the road when a BMW of one of the groups hit an Audi of the other and several stationary vehicles before killing a ragpicker early on Friday.
The accident happened in front of Singhji’s Bar cum Restaurant on Rajdanga Main Road, not far from the Ruby crossing. The bar-cum-restaurant was operating illegally in the heart of the city, in violation of government directives.
The state government has announced the closure of bars and restaurants to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the state, violation of which attracts penal sections under the disaster management act.
Uday Biswas, a Calcutta police constable, who was on anti-snatching duty, was the first to reach the spot. The BMW hit him, too, before trying to flee. Biswas injured his hand and has been hospitalised.
The BMW’s airbag was activated because of the collision, bringing the vehicle to a screeching halt, police said. The occupants of the Audi fled.
People in the neighbourhood chased the BMW and dragged the driver, identified as Rajdeep Sharma of Narendrapur, out of the SUV and beat him up till more cops arrived and stopped them.
The road in front of the bar on Rajdanga Main Road where the accident took place on Friday. Gautam Bose
The police have arrested three occupants of the BMW including Sharma, who runs a hotel in Salt Lake. The three have been booked under charges of murder, attempt to murder, causing culpable homicide not amounting to murder and drink driving. A murder charge was included against the BMW driver because he had deliberately crashed into the Audi and then into other vehicles before hitting the ragpicker who died, an officer said.
“The person at the wheel deliberately came back with the intention to hit the Audi. He had full knowledge of what he was doing,” an officer said.
Later in the evening, the police made another arrest. Sumit Agarwal was in the Audi and was allegedly involved in the drunken brawl with Sharma and his friends at the bar-cum-restaurant, the police said. Agarwal has been booked under charges of assault and causing grievous hurt.
The deceased man was identified as Tapan Dey, a resident of Tiljala.
From CCTV footage, the police said they found that the BMW had left the venue around 5am and returned a few minutes later to hit the Audi, which was still in front of the bar-cum-restaurant.
“Investigation has revealed that Sharma and Agarwal first spent some time at Sharma’s hotel in Salt Lake and then came to Singhji’s Bar cum Restaurant where they shared a few drinks around 3am. The bar was closed but the owner had allowed them to enter the premises through a rear gate,” said an officer.
The owner of the bar, Rohit Rajput, has also been arrested under sections of the disaster management act.
A senior officer of the south suburban division said the details of the bar-cum-restaurant have been sent to Lalbazar with a recommendation that its license be cancelled.
“The BMW was moving at a very high speed. The exact speed will be ascertained after its forensic examination,” said a senior officer in Kasba police station.
The incident prompted senior officers across divisions to issue fresh instructions to all police station to ensure complete lockdown of bars and restaurants, according to the government directives.
A senior police officer not attached to the probe said the local police station should have had knowledge of such activities in the area.
“This is an extremely dangerous trend. If bars and restaurants are illegally kept open, it not only sets a wrong example but also beats the entire purpose of the government restrictions,” said the officer.