Angry Residents Stage Protest After Truck Driver Flees Accident Site
Key Points:
- 20-year-old Vikram Gope dies after truck hits his bike in Bokaro
- Villagers block NH-320, allege police mishandled the aftermath
- Truck driver flees, family demands compensation and action
BOKARO – A 20-year-old youth died on the spot after a coal-laden truck ran over his bike on National Highway-320 in Bokaro.
The victim, Vikram Gope, was returning home to Telidih’s Nehal More after buying vegetables from a shop near the Sector-12 Medical College. The truck hit his bike during the return journey, and the impact was severe enough to kill him instantly.
The truck driver fled the spot immediately after the accident. Meanwhile, family members alleged that police shifted the body to the mortuary of Bokaro General Hospital without informing them first.
Once news of the death spread, angry villagers blocked NH-320 in protest. They raised questions over the conduct of the police in handling the incident. Besides the blockade, residents alleged that frequent accidents on the stretch were linked to speeding vehicles.
Villagers also alleged that police personnel were involved in illegal extortion on the route, though this claim has not been independently verified. Police are separately examining whether the coal being carried in the truck was being transported legally.
Officers reached the spot and have since been attempting to persuade the villagers and family members to lift the blockade. However, the family has remained firm in its demand for adequate compensation before the matter is resolved.
National Highway-320 runs through the Bokaro district and is known for frequent traffic movement connecting the region to other parts of Bokaro. The stretch has seen recurring safety concerns, with locals in the past also raising complaints about heavy-vehicle movement on the highway.
Road accidents involving trucks have been reported elsewhere in the state recently as well. In Ramgarh, a bus was involved in a collision with a bike that killed two youths, and protesters similarly blocked NH-33 over demands for compensation. In Chandil, an ethanol tanker collision on the same stretch left three people injured.
Meanwhile, questions over vehicle safety and highway management have also surfaced in other parts of Jharkhand this month, including a case where three engineers were killed in an industrial blast in Ramgarh. In Bihar, a separate accident involving a speeding bus killed five people at an orchestra event.
Encounters between police and criminal elements have also been reported from Ramgarh recently, with an encounter in Giddi leaving two people injured.
