Patna: Two men, including a former district councillor, were killed on Thursday morning after their motorcycle was hit by a Tata Safari near Devnagar, Nadaul, along the Patna–Gaya–Dobhi highway (NH-22). The victims were returning home after casting their votes when the crash occurred.
According to police, the victims — identified as Suresh Prasad Yadav, a former district councillor and resident of Nadaul, and Surendra Yadav, also from the same village — had stopped for tea at a stall east of Nadaul station. The collision took place as they were crossing the highway to head towards Masaurhi. Both men sustained fatal injuries; Suresh Prasad Yadav was rushed to a hospital in Jehanabad, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Following the accident, the driver of the Tata Safari fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle. Enraged villagers blocked the national highway for nearly three hours, preventing police from taking possession of the bodies and demanding action against the driver. The road blockade caused long traffic jams in both directions. Police later managed to pacify the protesters, remove the blockade, and send the bodies to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for post-mortem examinations.
Local residents blamed poor road design for the accident, citing the absence of a proper turning point on this stretch of NH-22. The nearest turn, they said, is nearly two kilometres away, forcing motorists to take risky crossings to switch lanes. Villagers claimed the tragedy could have been prevented if a turn had been provided near Nadaul station.
Suresh Prasad Yadav, who had recently joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) after leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was inducted into the RJD by Tejashwi Yadav at a rally in Barni, Dhanarua.
