Gayaji: A man died after being hit by a police vehicle in Gayaji triggering violent protests by villagers who set the patrol car on fire and blocked the road with his body.
The incident occurred in Imamganj block under Kothi police station on July 11. The deceased, identified as Devbali alias Babu Choudhary, aged 40, was a resident of Meghasthan village. According to locals, Devbali was standing near a brick kiln when a police patrol vehicle arrived. On seeing the police, he tried to flee on his bike, fearing arrest for carrying liquor.
During the chase, Devbali lost balance and fell along with his bike. A police vehicle following him hit him, resulting in his death on the spot.
Villagers alleged that the police vehicle was speeding and that the policemen fled after the accident instead of taking him to hospital. They claimed that if he had received treatment within the golden hour, his life could have been saved. People also alleged that no liquor was recovered from the spot.
As news of the death spread, angry villagers blocked the road and set the police vehicle on fire. When police teams arrived to control the situation, they faced stone pelting, leaving two policemen injured. Both are being treated locally. Additional forces were deployed to pacify the crowd and recover the body for postmortem.
Station House Officer Sanjeet Kumar said police were chasing Devbali on suspicion of liquor smuggling when the accident occurred. He added that an investigation is underway and villagers have been assured that action will be taken against the culprit.
