Four persons, including an actress, were killed in two accidents on BT Road between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Police said Suchandra Dasgupta was returning home to Sodepur, on the northern fringes of the city, on an app bike from a shoot on Saturday night when she met with the accident.
"The bike was hit by a truck at Ghoshpara, near Baranagar police station. The driver of the lorry has been arrested and the vehicle seized," said an officer of the Barrackpore police commissionerate.
"The victim was wearing a helmet but that got crushed under the impact of the accident."
Witnesses said the app bike was approaching the Dunlop intersection from Baranagar when a cyclist suddenly emerged from one of the lanes and appeared in front of the two-wheeler in Ghoshpara.
The driver pressed the brakes so hard that Suchandra, who acted in TV serials, fell on the right side, police learnt from an eyewitness account.
Before bystanders could rush to Suchandra's rescue, a truck from behind hit her. One of the front wheels of the truck crushed Suchandra's head, eyewitnesses told the police.
The driver of the app-bike, who fell on the left side, was injured and admitted to hospital.
“We will talk to him once doctors allow,” the officer said. “A case of rash driving leading to death has been drawn up at Baranagar police station.”
Hours after the accident, three youths died after a speeding pick-up van hit the two-wheeler they were riding at Tentultala, near Agarpara, on BT Road early on Sunday.
The police said the three youths were headed towards Sodepur from Dunlop.
All three fell on the road.
“They were taken to a hospital nearby where all three were declared dead on arrival,” said an officer of Khardah police station.
Their identities could not be established till Sunday evening.
Immediately after the accident, some residents set up a road blockade demanding adequate policing on the stretch. Senior officers later reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to withdraw the blockade.
Some residents complained that vehicles speed through BT Road between Kamarhati and Agarpara, risking their lives as well as posing a threat to pedestrians.
“We have sought additional police deployment on this stretch of BT Road,” said Anirban Dutta, a resident of Tentultala.
“Several meetings were held with the authorities but policing on the stretch has yet to be boosted.”
The police said several measures were taken to control reckless driving on BT Road, including installing traffic lights and rumble strips.
“The number of fatalities on this stretch of BT Road has come down since some of the measures were implemented,” an officer said.
“The challenge remains with the number of vehicles entering BT Road from the various lanes.”