E-Paper
1 killed, 6 injured as 'drunk' TV director rams car into crowd at Kolkata market: Report
The driver, Siddhanta Das, a Bengali director, and his co-passenger, Shriya Basu were beaten up by crowd before police intervened.
A car rammed a crowd of people on Sunday morning, killing one person and critically injuring six others in Kolkata, reported India Today. Inside the car was a daily soap director and an executive producer of a Bengali entertainment channel, according to the police. Both of them were stopped and beaten up by the crowd at the spot before being handed over to the police.
Siddhanta Das alias Vikto, who is a renowned Bengali director, was driving the car at the time of the accident, while Shriya Basu, an executive producer, was a co-passenger. An official told India Today that Basu appeared to be drunk when she was rescued from the crowd by the police and collapsed on the road.
While Siddhanta Das was arrested by the police following the crash, Basu was handed over to her family. Das is expected to be produced in court on Monday.
The accused were drunk
Both Basu and Das were allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. They were partying till late the night before the incident to celebrate the success of their show at a pub in Kolkata’s South City mall, an unnamed source told India Today. They continued drinking and driving the entire night, even after other people in their group had left around 2am.
On Sunday morning, their car hit pedestrians at Thakurpukur Bazar. Recalling what had happened, an eyewitness told India Today TV, "The vehicle was coming from the Bishnupur side. After the crash, we found only one person inside the car.”
According to police, out of the six people who got injured, four were taken to Kasturi Nursing Home, while the other two were taken to CMRI Hospital in critical condition.
"Around 09:30 hrs near Thakurpukur Bazar on Diamond Harbour Road under the Thakurpukur Police Station, a private car hit several pedestrians. As a result, six people sustained multiple injuries. Four were taken to Kasturi Nursing Home, and two were shifted to CMRI Hospital in critical condition. The police seized the offending vehicle and detained the driver. An investigation is underway," a Kolkata Police official said.
The person who died, Aminur Rahman, was a sweeper with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and a local CPI(M) worker.
