A Government Railway Police officer was killed early on Thursday after a goods vehicle hit the two-wheeler he was riding on Kali Krishna Tagore Street in Burrabazar.
Sandip Das, 38, was flung off his motorcycle under the impact of the crash, police said. Even before the bystanders could make out what happened, the goods vehicle sped off.
The accident claiming the cop’s life happened amid Kolkata Police’s programmes to mark “Road Safety Week”, which will continue till February 15.
Das, from Kendua Sonapara in Birbhum’s Suri, was wearing a helmet, the police said.
The motorcycle had the officer’s name written at the rear and the word “Police” in front. The two-wheeler, which did not bear any marks of the impact, appeared to be a new buy, the police said.
The accident happened near the Malapara crossing on Kali Krishna Tagore Street around 5.10am, when the wholesale trading hub just started readying for the day and rows of trucks were parked on either side of the road. Some bystanders informed the police about the hit-and-run case.
Das was taken to Medical College Kolkata, where he was declared “brought dead”.
“We are scanning footage of CCTV cameras installed on the stretch where the accident happened to identify the goods vehicle,” said a senior officer of Posta police station.
“The officer’s family has been informed about the fatal crash. A case of causing death due to negligence has been registered.”
Traders in the business hub said Kali Krishna Tagore Street remains congested throughout the day with trucks from districts and other states arriving in quick succession to deliver or take away goods.
“The accident happened very early in the morning when traffic was very thin. There was no policeman around the accident spot,” said a local businessman, refusing to be named.
“It could be that one of the trucks leaving the place after loading goods knocked down the officer from behind.”
Several others said Kali Krishna Tagore Street, with a mix of slow and fast-moving vehicles, remains accident-prone for bikers speeding past rows of heavy and medium goods vehicles.
