Bhubaneswar: Barely 24 hours after a 20-year-old was arrested in Bhubaneswar for alleged reckless driving under the influence of alcohol, another similar case was reported from the capital on Tuesday night.
An SUV went on a rampage, ramming into multiple two-wheelers in front of a private hospital in Ghatikia on Tuesday night, leaving a man dead and five others injured.
The deceased was identified as Manas Barik, who was in his 50s. The injured were taken to a private hospital.
The incident occurred around 10 pm, triggering panic among commuters and mob fury, with irate locals assaulting the driver and pelting stones at the vehicle.
Police later rescued the SUV driver from the mob and detained him.
Earlier on Monday, Badagada police had arrested a law student in the city for allegedly attempting to mow down three roadside dhaba employees with his car while driving in an unebriated condition and injuring several bikers while fleeing the scene.
Police said the exact circumstances leading to Tuesday night’s accident are under investigation. “Our personnel rescued the SUV driver from the mob and detained him. A medical examination of the driver is being conducted to ascertain if he was deriving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. We have recorded the statements of the injured people, who are also eyewitnesses to the incident,” DCP Saravana Vivek M told the media.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the driver was speeding and driving recklessly. “The SUV first knocked down a biker and then crashed into at least five other motorcycles within a stretch of about 300 metres. The manner in which the vehicle was being driven strongly suggests that the driver may have been intoxicated,” a local shopkeeper, Sahadev Khuntia, was quoted as saying by The Times of India.