5-yr-old boy killed, three injured in Puri Grand Road accidents

Puri: A five-year-old boy was killed and three others injured in accidents involving a speeding SUV in Puri’s Grand Road on Friday morning, triggering massive public outrage and protests over alleged lapses in traffic enforcement. The deceased was identified as Shreyansh Dey of Puri.The incident took place around 10 am when Shreyansh was standing in the front space of the scooter driven by his grandfather, Nilakantha Dey (70), while another relative, Raja Sahoo (11), was riding pillion. They were going from Medical Chowk to Market Chowk to buy breakfast.Eye-witness Rasmita Parija said the vehicle moving in the same direction dashed against the scooter from behind. Shreyansh was thrown off the vehicle and dragged for nearly 200 metres as the SUV failed to stop. He was rushed to the district headquarters hospital but was declared dead on arrival.Nilakantha sustained serious injuries on his right leg, while Raja suffered severe injuries on his knee and chest. Both are undergoing treatment at the Puri district headquarters hospital. Barely 30 seconds before hitting the scooter, the SUV hit a cyclist near Medical Chowk, seriously injuring a local resident, Nabakishore Maharana.Shopkeeper Binod Das said several youths travelling in the SUV fled after the accident. Angry locals thrashed the driver, Sanjay Nayak of Bhadrak’s Balasahi, who was reportedly drunk. Police took the driver into custody and produced him in court. The vehicle was seized after angry residents attempted to set it on fire.Following the accidents, locals staged a protest outside the hospital blaming police for poor traffic management. The child’s father, Niranjan Dey, along with locals blocked the road by burning tyres and raising slogans, disrupting vehicular movement for several hours.Senior police officials, including SP Prateek Singh and additional SP Sushil Mishra, managed to pacify the protesters. After autopsy, Shreyansh’s body was taken under tight security to Swargadwar, where his last rites were performed in the afternoon. Demanding strict action against those responsible, Niranjan said, “I allowed my son to go out but never imagined that would leave us forever.”The SP said, “We are examining the circumstances under which the accident took place.” CM Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the incident. He announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) for the deceased’s next of kin.