Amidst the festive fervour, tragedy struck the city when two bike-borne youths were killed on being hit by a speeding trailer near Golmuri fire station on Sakchi-Golmuri road at midnight. In another incident a resident of Kapali Bustee, Shaneswar Sahu (35) was killed when the cycle he was riding was hit by a speeding car on Marine Drive.
Those killed at Golmuri were identified as Amitabh Kumar (22) and Amit Kumar Pati (23), both residents of Uliyan in Kadma.
According to sources, both Amitabh and Amit were friends and had gone to visit puja pandals in the city. It was about 12.15 am when the duo was returning home from Telco through Golmuri-Sakchi Road, the bike was hit by the trailer.
While Amitabh who was riding the bike was killed on the spot where as Amit who was pillion-rider was seriously injured. The trailer driver fled the spot having left the vehicle (JHAJ-8149) on the road.
A police party arrived at the scene and rescued Amit and rushed him to the MGM Medical College and Hospital emergency. Amit succumbed to his injury early this morning.
The district administration had announced to implement the special No-entry schedule from Monday in view of the Puja, but as most of the pandals had been inaugurated on Sunday itself, the people had turned up in large number for the pandal hopping, making the roads filled with the puja revelry.
Senior superintendent of police, Anoop T Mathew said that the movement of heavy vehicles has been restricted completely in the city from Monday. But several pandals were inaugurated on Sunday that led brought revelers to the streets.
Meanwhile, more than 200 residents, including women from Kapali bustee in Sonari staged a gherao of Sonari police station at 10 am today, demanding compensation to the kin of the mishap victim Ghaneswar Sahu.
A resident of Kapali Bustee, Sahu (35) was killed when the cycle he was riding was hit by a speeding car on Marine Drive. The car, driven by Gurucharan Singh, a resident of Sidhgora was coming from Adityapur through the Marine Drive as the mishap took place.
The protestors had lifted the gherao in an hour as the car owner agreed to pay Rs 1 lakh to the family members of the mishap victim in presence of the police.