A mob on Monday went berserk and torched as many as three buses near Hata Chhak in Pipili on NH-316 after a couple going by a moped was run over by a bus. Vehicular communication was disrupted as locals thronged the spot in hundreds and virtually lay siege to the highway.
Police were deployed at the spot as tension erupted following the road mishap, which killed the couple identified as Hadu Khan and his wife of Asarala village of Jajpur.
Eyewitnesses said the speeding bus ‘Sarala’ on its way to Bhubaneswar from Puri hit the couple’s moped while overtaking them, leading to the duo’s death on the spot. Reports said some policemen, who reached the spot, were roughed up by the agitating locals.
Apart from this, vehicles halted on NH-316 connecting Bhubaneswar and Puri were vandalised during the road blockade. Some irate locals blocked the old NH-203 as well protesting the incident.
The locals alleged that accidents were frequently happening due to buses competing among themselves and exceeding the speed limits.
later, Puri Additional SP Jagannath Pradhan along with senior officials rushed to the spot and pacified the crowd. An amount of Rs20,000 was sanctioned for the kin of the deceased from the Red Cross fund, after which communication was restored. Pradhan said action would be taken against the guilty who indulged in violence and arson.
Meanwhile, the Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association said if stringent action is not taken against the guilty, they would stop services between Bhubaneswar and Puri from Tuesday.