Unruly crowds set a vehicle on fire after heavy stone pelting and blocked the road near Zhavedi village on Saturday evening. The speeding dumper had run over a 12-year-old boy, killing him on the spot.
Police claimed that things were completely under control now, though tensions had come to the surface after the unfortunate incident.
The dumper had been on its way to Dehradun from Ponta Sahib. As it reached the village, it tried to overtake Monu, who was on a bicycle. Unfortunately, the boy came under the rear wheels and died.
Angry locals soon gathered at the spot and threw stones at the dumper and several other vehicles. According to the police, upset villagers also blocked the road by keeping the boy’s body there, causing a traffic jam.
Soon after receiving the information, police reached the spot and tried to pacify the angry villagers. Nonetheless, the locals refused to hand over the body for the post-mortem and demanded that the driver be arrested immediately and strict action taken against him.
Meanwhile, City SP Jagdish Chandra and ADM Harak Singh Rawat reached the spot. After talks with them, the villagers allowed the police to complete formalities required before sending the body for the post-mortem. Patel Nagar Police Station Officer Vinod Singh said, “The situation is under control. Movement of traffic has been restored on the road.”
Singh said a special team was sent to arrest the driver, Kundan, who had managed to flee the scene after the accident. A case has been registered and further investigations are on. The administration has deployed heavy police force on the spot as a preventive measure.