News Desk: One person was killed and three others were critically injured after a speeding SUV allegedly driven by an intoxicated man rammed into at least 10 vehicles in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Tuesday evening. The accused driver has been arrested, police said.
According to police, the incident took place at around 10 pm when a Mahindra Scorpio was travelling from the Kalinga Studio area towards Kalinga Vihar. The SUV first hit a two-wheeler near Nuagaon Chhak before crashing into several other vehicles while moving along the busy road.
Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek M Saravana said the vehicle struck nine more vehicles as the driver allegedly attempted to escape from local residents who were chasing the SUV.
The vehicle eventually crashed into a road divider near the main entrance of SUM Hospital. The collision left a 25-year-old man dead and three other men critically injured. The injured were taken for medical treatment.
Following the crash, angry local residents caught the driver, identified as Daya Shankar Panigrahi. He was allegedly assaulted by residents before being handed over to the police. Locals claimed that he was driving under the influence of alcohol. Police have arrested the accused, while the circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated.
The other three occupants of the SUV allegedly fled the scene following the crash. Their whereabouts were not immediately known.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about road safety and the dangers of reckless driving in the Odisha capital. The involvement of multiple vehicles and the severity of the casualties have also drawn attention to the risks posed by speeding on busy city roads.
The latest crash comes just a day after another serious road incident in Bhubaneswar. On Monday morning, a 20-year-old law student, Soumyaranjan Rath, allegedly drove his car into a group of people near a roadside eatery before returning from the opposite direction and attempting to run over the eatery's owner. Several people were injured in that incident.
Rath, who is the son of a prominent builder, was subsequently arrested. He was reportedly out on bail in a separate case involving the death of an air-conditioner mechanic. In that earlier incident, he allegedly rammed his Mercedes-Benz into the mechanic's motorcycle around three months ago.
The two incidents within consecutive days have brought road safety and alleged reckless driving in Bhubaneswar into sharp focus. Police investigations into both cases are expected to establish the circumstances and determine responsibility for the crashes.
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