Kolkata, 14 August (H.S.): The family of Rahul Mandal, a food delivery boy who died tragically in a road accident in Salt Lake on Wednesday evening, has accused the police of gross negligence in handling the case. They allege that despite having the car’s registration number, the driver was not arrested for over 12 hours after the accident.

The grieving family members claimed on Thursday that they were denied entry to the police station when they went to lodge a complaint and were even forced to leave the premises. They further alleged that police officials drafted a complaint on their own and obtained the signature of an illiterate family member without explaining the content.

According to the family, both the police and the fire brigade arrived late at the scene despite being informed immediately. They also alleged that the accident site was not properly secured, even though it was raining at the time.

Police have registered a case under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and assault on police personnel. However, no arrests have been made so far. Investigators confirmed that a forensic team would collect samples from the accident site as part of the ongoing probe.

The incident occurred in Salt Lake’s New Bridge area when a private car rammed into multiple vehicles before hitting Rahul Mandal’s bike from behind. The impact caused the bike to catch fire, and Mandal was charred to death on the spot. He was a resident of Basanti and worked as a food delivery executive.

Following the accident, tension gripped the locality as angry residents pelted stones at police personnel. The situation escalated to the point where tear gas shells had to be fired to bring the mob under control. Eyewitnesses alleged that the police made no serious attempt to save Rahul and that it was local residents who pulled the occupants out of the offending car.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh