A 52-year-old shopkeeper was killed and four other men were injured
when a car rammed into a shop on Belgachhia Road on Monday.
Eyewitnesses said a car that was taking a U-turn towards the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital went straight towards the shop and rammed into it around 8am.
Shoaib Ahmed, 52, the shopkeeper, was sitting on a bench at the shop when the car crashed into it. His legs got separated from the rest of the body under the impact of the collision.
Shoaib was rushed to RG Kar hospital, where doctors declared him “brought dead”. The shop was completely damaged.
The four who were injured were present in the shop, which had opened just for the day, police said.
Two of them — Sirajul Ansari, 30, and Mohammad Sayed Ali, 49 — were taken to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and later shifted to a nursing home in Dum Dum.
Mohammad Sultan, 25, was admitted to a hospital run by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) in Phoolbagan, while Sumit Ansari, 20, was treated at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and discharged.
“There were two people in the car. The driver has been arrested and the car seized,” said a senior officer at Ultadanga police station.
Residents blocked Belgachhia Road soon after the accident, demanding additional deployment of police on the stretch, which, they said, is prone to accident.
“There are not enough cops on the stretch in the morning, when vehicles tend to speed,” said a resident who did not want to be named.
“Sohaib died for no fault of his. What will happen to his family?” the resident asked.
As initial rounds of discussions failed to persuade the protesters to disperse, a big contingent of police was called in.
The blockade was subsequently withdrawn.
The police said the vehicle will undergo a mechanical test within the next two days to determine whether any snag led to the accident.
A case of rash and negligent driving has been started against the accused driver.