March 24: A car carrying Arambagh MLA Krishna Chandra Santra was hit by a speeding truck and dragged a few metres on a state highway linking Arambagh to Tarakeswar today.

Santra and his driver had a narrow escape. The Maruti Alto was turning left to enter a petrol pump in Arambagh, around 80km from the city, when the truck hit it from behind.

"I was on the rear seat. Suddenly, I felt a massive jerk and heard a loud noise from behind. The driver lost control of the car and it turned and came in front of the truck," Santra said. The truck kept dragging the Alto. "Had my car overturned, the truck could have mowed us down," the MLA said.

The accident comes a day after chief minister Mamata Banerjee, in an interview with ABP Ananda, expressed concern over reckless driving.

Today's accident occurred around 10.30am when the Trinamul MLA was on his way to his constituency. Police arrested the truck driver and seized the vehicle.

Local residents alleged that motorists often take advantage of slack policing.

The state highway, where the accident occurred, begins from Baidyabati as an offshoot of Durgapur Expressway, which has witnessed a series of accidents in recent times.

On Wednesday, a family of seven was wiped out when a tanker loaded with molten bitumen overturned and fell on their car on NH2. The police today performed a mechanical test of the tanker even as a team of cops left for Uttar Pradesh in search of the tanker owner.