A truck speeding down the wrong side of James Long Sarani ran over 12-year-old Smriti Singh, a Class V student of DAV Public School, around 8 am on Wednesday.

Smriti died on the spot while her father, Ashok, who was taking her to school on his new motorcycle, was critically injured.

?The two-wheeler skidded in front of the truck, throwing the girl off. The truck mowed her down and crushed Ashok?s right arm under its wheels,? said S.N. Gupta, superintendent of police (South 24-Parganas). ?We have impounded the killer vehicle, but the driver managed to flee,? he added.

An unconscious Ashok, with multiple fractures in the right arm, was taken to Vidyasagar Hospital and then to Kothari Medical Centre, where he was operated upon.

His relatives said Ashok was out of danger by the evening. He had not been told about his daughter?s death.

A resident of Kailash Bose Road, near Sakherbazar, Ashok, 40, runs a small transport business. Wife Mamta, 35, was at home with their four-year-old son Shashank when the mishap occurred.

Ashok?s younger brother Avinash and sisters Reeta and Sweta, too, live in the house. Ashok is the family?s sole breadwinner.

?I doubt whether my brother will ever be able to use his right hand again and resume work,? said Avinash.

?He (Ashok) had bought the motorcycle a couple of months ago and was still trying to improve his riding skills. Ironically, the motorcycle was not damaged in the accident,? said Avinash, struggling to hold back tears.

At the Singh residence on Kailash Bose Road, Mamta, Reeta and Sweta were inconsolable.

Little Shashank, a student of the same school where his sister used to study, had been sent to a neighbour?s house.

Smriti?s body was brought home around 4.45 pm before being taken away for the last rites.

The mood at DAV Public School, on James Long Sarani, was one of shock. At 2 pm, principal P. Robertson asked the entire school to assemble and broke the tragic news.

Students and teachers observed two minutes? silence in little Smriti?s memory. ?As a mark of respect for our departed student, the school will remain closed tomorrow,? Robertson announced.

Among the students stood a teacher, at a distance from the rest of her colleagues, tears rolling down her cheeks. She was Anju Negi, Smriti?s classteacher.

?I knew Smriti for the past six months. She was an average student. All I can say is that no one can bring my child back,? she mumbled, before turning away.

?We still can?t believe that such a young and vibrant life has been snuffed out. We will do whatever we can to help the Singhs overcome their irreparable loss. We will stand by them in their hour of grief,? said DAV Public School secretary B.K. Bhatia.

Several students and teachers visited the Singh residence throughout the day to offer their condolences.