The head of medicine at Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and his daughter, also a doctor, were killed along with their driver when their car collided head-on with a tipper truck near DRM Chowk, a stone’s throw from the district collectorate, late on Tuesday night.
Dr S.S. Saha (56), a resident of suburban Govindpur, was returning home around 10.30pm after a shopping spree in the coal town with wife Maya Saha (52), daughter Dr Abhilasha Saha (30) — a paediatrician in Sitamarhi, Bihar — and three-year-old grandson Nihal when the mishap took place.
Maya and Nihal have been admitted to The Mission Hospital in Durgapur, Bengal, with serious head injuries. They are both critical. The deceased driver of the family has been identified as Mohammed Sajid (28).
The accident triggered angry protests as residents blocked the Dhanbad-Govindpur road for more than three hours from 11pm, demanding arrest of the truck driver and his khalasi, who managed to flee, and a long-term leash on speed demons. The protesters also tried to set the truck on fire, but were stopped by police.
Holding poor traffic management responsible for the tragic accident, coal town doctors closed their clinics on Wednesday as a mark of protest. They also organised a candlelight march in the evening.
Police said they suspected both the doctor’s car, a Maruti Suzuki SX4, and the truck were speeding, which was why the impact was so high. Also, neither driver Sajid nor Dr Saha, who was seated in front, were wearing seat belts.
A sandal the doctor’s grandson Nihal was wearing. The three-year-old is in hospital with critical head injuries. Picture by Gautam Dey
“The air bags were not deployed on impact. This can happen when seat belts are not fastened. The car was on its way to Gayardih in Govindpur, 12km from town, while the truck was heading towards Shramik Chowk from Govindpur. The impact was high enough for the truck to drag the car for over 30 metres,” said an officer.
While Dr Saha fell out of the front door, his driver was caught in the mangled metal. Rescuers could free the body using gas cutters only after 80 minutes. Dr Abhilasha, seated behind her father, received fatal head injuries on impact.
All three bodies were sent to PMCH in Saraidhela where autopsy was carried out on Wednesday morning.
“We are deeply aggrieved by the incident. Dr Saha was not only a good doctor, but a great human being too. The IMA demands immediate arrests and also compensation for bereaved family members,” said state president of Indian Medical Association Dr A.K. Singh.
Secretary of IMA’s Dhanbad unit Dr Sushil Kumar rushed to Ranchi on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum to health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, demanding his intervention in beefing up road safety.
“Thousands of heavy vehicles engaged by private mining companies speed on Dhanbad roads to meet consignment deadlines. Many of these have underage drivers at the wheel who are not experienced enough to buffer accidents. People are dying. The authorities must act now,” he said.
Dhanbad SSP Manoj Ratan Chothe cited acute crunch of traffic cops. “The sanctioned strength is 250, but we make do with 120. Still we ensure deployment at all major squares from morning till 9.30 pm. We will try and start night shifts in the wake of Tuesday’s accident,” he said.
