A former journalist of a national English daily Rajesh Upadhyay lost his life in a road accident 17 km from Bokaro Steel City o Tuesday. He was riding a bike with helmet when had a head-on collision with a passenger vehicle around 9.30am on Tuesday, triggering an hour-long agitation on the Bokaro-Ramgarh highway near Kalyanpur village within limits of Jaridih police station, said Officer- Charge Rupesh Dubey. He said the one Upadhaya,(50) was residents of Dhanbad. The person worked in Ranchi and was on his way to Dhanbad for some work, when the accident took place.
“The Jeep was coming from Bokaro. It overtook an SUV and was about to cross a hairpin bend uphill near Kalyanpur village when the bike appeared from the opposite direction. It was too late for brakes. The head-on collision flung the biker off the two-wheeler and the wheels of the bus crushed them. He died then and there," an eyewitness said.
A few hundred people descended on the highway, demanding safety on roads, leash on speed demons and compensation for the next of kin of the deceased.
Bermo ASP Subash Chandra Jat said a case of rash driving had been lodged against the car driver. "Driver is being booked under Sections 304 (death caused by negligent rash driving,” he said.
The body of the man was sent to Tenughat Subdivisional Hospital for post-mortem and later handed over to family for last rites. All Bokaro journalists expressed their condolences to the bereaved family.