17-yr-old's death in accident sparks violence

Angry over the death of a class 10 student in a road accident, locals went on the rampage at Labour Chowk in Noida on Sunday. Darpan Singh reports.

Angry over the death of a class 10 student in a road accident, locals went on the rampage at Labour Chowk in Noida on Sunday.

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Protesters resorted to stone-pelting and damaged three private buses and as many police vehicles. About six persons, including some policemen, sustained injuries in the mêlée.

Traders shut their shops and Noida-Ghaziabad commuters suffered because of sudden diversions even as protestors fought a pitched battle with the police for three hours. The protestors also tried to set ablaze vehicles, police said.

"Rahul Gupta, 17, a student of RD High School in Baraula, was crushed by a private bus. He succumbed to his injuries at AIIMS. Locals began demonstrating with the body, seeking action against the driver, and compensation. We have taken more than two dozen persons into custody," said a police official. The deceased's father, Uday Gupta, is a factory worker.

All PCR vans and police officials of the city, besides two companies of the provincial armed constabulary (PAC) rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.