In a tragic incident that has shaken the quiet town of Pakur in Jharkhand, an 18-year-old delivery boy lost his life after being crushed under a school bus on Tuesday morning. The accident, which occurred near the bustling Gandhi Chowk around 9 AM, triggered widespread outrage, leading to road blockades and shop closures across the district headquarters.
Mridul Saha, a resident of Talwadaanga village, was riding his scooter when the school bus rammed into him, inflicting fatal head injuries. He breathed his last at the spot. As the sole breadwinner for his family, working at a Jio Mart outlet, his untimely death has left his loved ones devastated. Family members wailed uncontrollably upon seeing his body, recounting how his earnings sustained their household.
News of the mishap spread like wildfire, drawing hundreds of furious locals to the scene. Protesters placed the youth’s body on the road, blocking traffic at Gandhi Chowk and accusing authorities of gross negligence in traffic management. They highlighted the chaos in the area, where heavy vehicles and buses flout no-entry rules daily, resulting in frequent accidents.
The agitation escalated as demonstrators erected barricades on key roads, paralyzing the city’s traffic. Long queues of vehicles snaked through streets, causing immense hardship to commuters. Tensions peaked when the crowd marched to the town police station, burning tires and chanting slogans against the police. They demanded the seizure of the bus, arrest of the driver, and compensation for the bereaved family.
Senior police officials, including the town station in-charge, rushed to the site and pacified the mob with assurances of a fair probe and strict action against the culprits. By 4 PM, the protesters agreed to clear the roads, bringing an end to the standoff. This incident underscores the urgent need for better traffic regulation in Pakur’s high-risk zones to prevent future tragedies.