No licence, no seatbelts: Teen’s joyride ends in tragedy on Kolkata flyover

KOLKATA: A 17-year-old youth who appeared for his Madhyamik exam this year, Subham Das, died in a car crash on Garden Reach Flyover on Friday night. Five other youths, aged between 17 and 21, sustained multiple injuries in the same accident. Cops have blamed overspeeding and the inexperience of the driver for the accident. DC (port) Hari Krishna Pai confirmed that the driver was not able to produce his driving licence even hours after his arrest.

The incident was reported around 10.10 pm when a car carrying the six youths crashed into the concrete parapet wall of the flyover before overturning. Sources said the friends were celebrating the fact that the driver, Rohit Agarwal (18), had got a second-hand car. "They were headed towards Balwant Dhaba from Garden Reach when the accident took place," said an officer.

Subham, who was partially thrown out of the car on impact, was pronounced dead at SSKM Hospital. The other passengers, Rohit, Rio Sarkar (21), Joy Das (19), Sayan Das (17), and Surya Pradhan (16), received treatment and are now stated to be out of danger. Sayan is a resident of Haldar Para while the rest are from Roy Para Road and Paharpur Road.

Police reports indicate that Rohit was driving from west to east on the flyover when he lost control of the car. "Friends knew that Rohit was an avid biker but never knew he could drive. They were also surprised that he owned a car. They decided to go for a joy ride. It seems that loud music was being played in the car, Rohit was talking, and was distracted. At a curve on the flyover, he lost control of the vehicle due to speeding. The front left wheel hit the guard wall on the left, and the car got dragged onto the median before it flipped," said an officer.

The survivors managed to help each other out of the wreckage and transported the unconscious Subham to SSKM Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The vehicle sustained severe damage and has been impounded by the south port police station.

Family members of all the youths arrived at the hospital following the incident.

"Rohit's father is a trader and has multiple businesses. The car belongs to him. Besides not having a driving licence, Rohit was not even wearing the seat belt. In fact, none of the occupants had seat belts on. We are writing to his father to know why he handed over the car keys to his son despite knowing he has no licence," said an officer.

Subham is survived by his parents, who sustain themselves by doing odd jobs now and then., and a sister who studies in class VII. "Subham's mother works as a housekeeper at Rohit's residence. That is how the two became friends," said an officer.

"Subham was a decent student and close to his parents. He agreed to get in the car because the son of his mother's employer insisted. He has never been out this late before," claimed a relative on Saturday.

Officials await mechanical test reports to determine additional factors that may have contributed to the accident. Cops registered a case against Rohit. He was arrested and presented at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Alipore, where cops sought custody.



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