Saharsa: A horrific incident in Bihar’s Saharsa district has sparked widespread outrage after an elderly man, struck during a morning walk, was dragged for nearly 20 km under a car before the driver allegedly buried the body in a remote area. The incident took place on the morning of June 3 near Chakla Chowk along the Baijnathpur–Sonvarsha main road in the Saurbazar police station area. The victims, identified as 60-year-old Bharat Ram and his wife Sama Devi, had set out for their routine morning walk when they were struck by a speeding car. Both died on the spot, but the situation turned even grimmer when Bharat Ram’s body got lodged beneath the vehicle.
Rather than stopping, the driver fled the scene with his family still inside the car. The man’s body remained stuck underneath as the vehicle travelled approximately 20 km before coming to a stop near Shivpuri. There, the driver allegedly removed the body, placed it into a sack, and later buried it in a field in the Kanaria police station area.
The disappearance of Bharat Ram’s body led to panic and protest in the area. Local residents blocked the road for five hours, demanding answers. It took several hours of combing through CCTV footage by police to trace the vehicle and eventually recover the body near Matkhora Bahiyar.
On June 4, police arrested a man named Sunil Kumar, a resident of Panchgachiya, who is accused of helping the driver hide the body. The main accused, the driver, remains absconding. A search operation is underway. Speaking about the motive, investigators said the driver, accompanied by his wife and children, may have feared mob violence if he had stopped after the collision. Instead, he chose to flee and conceal the evidence.
The case has raised serious questions about road safety, the failure to provide immediate assistance, and the appalling lengths to which some go to escape accountability.
