Bhadrak: The National Highway-16 in Odisha’s Bhadrak district witnessed a massive blockade on Thursday after a college student was crushed under the wheels of a sand-laden tractor at Bhandaripokhari.
The deceased has been identified as Shradhanjali Panda, a Plus II student of Bhandaripokhari College.
According to sources, the accident took place while Shradhanjali was riding a bicycle to college. The tractor allegedly hit her from behind and dragged her several metres under its wheels. She was rushed to a nearby hospital by bystanders, but was declared brought dead.
Enraged by the incident, hundreds of residents and fellow students gathered at the spot and blocked the busy NH-16, demanding immediate arrest of the tractor driver and stricter measures to prevent rash driving on the stretch. The protest paralysed traffic in both directions, stranding hundreds of vehicles for hours.
Police soon rushed to the spot to control the situation and placate the agitators. An investigation is underway to ascertain the sequence of events leading to the accident.
