Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Jan 5: A fatal accident near the Barigora railway crossing in the Parsudih police station area on Monday morning claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl and left her younger cousin critically injured, triggering large-scale public unrest and disruption of traffic.
The deceased, Anjali Kumari (16), a resident of Barigora Subhash Tola, had stepped out of her home to buy daily necessities.
She was accompanied by her cousin Nidhi Kumari, aged around 10 – 12 years.
After the accident, locals rushed the injured child to Tata Motors Hospital, where doctors said she is under constant medical observation.
Preliminary accounts from relatives and eyewitnesses suggest that a bus was standing near the railway crossing when the driver allegedly left the vehicle after applying the handbrake to have tea.
As the railway gate began to close, the bus reportedly started rolling backward due to a possible handbrake failure and hit a scooter carrying the two girls.
Anjali was trapped under the bus and died instantly.
Soon after the incident, anger spread rapidly in the area.
Enraged residents took to the streets, blocked the main road as well as near-by railway tracks, and raised slogans demanding accountability.
The protest led to severe disruption of vehicular movement and train services for several hours.
During the agitation, the crowd also damaged the bus involved in the accident.
Police from Parsudih police station arrived at the spot and worked to restore normalcy.
According to the victim’s family, they want the bus owner to reach out to them for discussions before they decide on further legal steps.
Police officials said a detailed investigation has been initiated to assess the driver’s role and to examine whether a mechanical fault, particularly a failure of the handbrake, caused the accident.
According to police appropriate action would be taken against those responsible for the mishap as well as against individuals involved in vandalism.
The tragic incident has left the Barigora area in mourning, with grief and resentment palpable among local residents.
