- Protests erupted after a delivery rider died in a fire following a crash in Kolkata's Salt Lake area
- Soumen Mandal was trapped between a car bonnet and roadside railing before the vehicle caught fire
- Family accused police of inaction and delayed arrests, also claiming officials were filming instead of helping
Protests have erupted after a 22-year-old delivery professional died in a fire after a chilling road accident in Kolkata's Salt Lake area last evening. Soumen Mandal's family has slammed the police for their failure to make an arrest even 12 hours after the crash, and have also alleged that the cops did not try enough to save him.
Soumen worked simultaneously as a delivery executive and a bike cab rider. He was on his two-wheeler at a traffic intersection in Kolkata's Salt Lake area last evening. A pillion rider rode with him. As they waited for the light to turn green, a speeding car rammed into Soumen's two-wheeler and dragged him to the iron railing next to the road. He was stuck between the railing and the car's bonnet -- some reports claim a pointed part of the railing penetrated his leg and trapped him.
While the occupants in the car were rescued and rushed to a hospital, Soumen remained stuck. Moments after the crash, the car exploded into flames and he was charred. The pillion rider suffered fractures in his hip and arm.
A CCTV footage of the crash shows Soumen's two-wheeler, another bike and a car waiting at the signal. A speeding car then enters the frame from the right and rams Soumen's two-wheeler. Both Soumen and the pillion rider are thrown into the air. The video shows the 22-year-old hitting the railing. The car's bonnet trapped him there and he burned alive.
The young man's death sparked massive protests in the area as local residents alleged that cops did not try enough to rescue him. Some also claimed that police personnel at the spot were busy shooting videos instead of making attempts to rescue Soumen. They also alleged that fire engines came very late. To tackle the massive protests, police had to rush more forces to the accident spot.
Soumen's family has alleged police inaction and questioned why there have been no arrests yet. They said that they were driven out of the police station when they went there to file a complaint. They also alleged that the police wrote the complaint and got an illiterate family member to sign it.
"We found out around 7 pm that my brother had met with an accident and died on the spot. I heard that the police did not help him. Instead, they were shooting videos. Police also fired teargas shells at the local residents when they protested. Police are not helping us," Soumen's brother said.
Police have said a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered and a probe is on.
Soumen, originally from Basanti in South 25 Parganas, was from an underprivileged family and had started working young to contribute to the family income.
