Bhubaneswar: Tension ran high at Laxmi Talkies square in Sambalpur following the death of a minor boy in a bus accident at around 9 pm on Wednesday.
The boy identified as Ronan Nayak, a class IX student of the same locality went to a medical store to buy medicine for his mother. A private tourist bus mowed down him killing him on the spot. Though the boy was taken to hospital immediately, he was declared brought dead.
Meanwhile, local people gathered at the spot and staged a demonstration alleging police inaction against the heavy vehicles which ply in the restricted route. They alleged that the bus entered the prohibited road instead of plying on the bypass route.
The agitators didn’t relent and pelted stones at the forces, following police had to resort to lathi charge to drive away the mob.
As the number of protesters increased, the situation slipped out of hand. Police officers from different police stations rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the mob. A platoon of forces was also mobilized to the scene to control the agitators.
The protesters alleged that police released the driver of the bus instead of taking action. A senior police, however, rubbished the allegation, saying that the bus and the driver are in police custody. The driver has been arrested and the vehicle has been seized, he added.
“I requested the media not to mislead the public. The bus driver is very much under our custody. We are investigating the matter. Appropriate action will be taken,” the police officer said.
