Victim had transport biz but he hardly drove his car: Neighbours

KOLKATA: Ultadanga resident Pritam Saha was in the transport business for several years but he himself was not a regular long distance driver, said relatives and neighbours of the 35-year-old man, who rammed his car into a truck on NH-6 early on Sunday.
“He was not a regular driver on highways. He had his own transport business but he hardly drove his car. We have no clue why he chose to take out this car,” said Tarun Saha, a family friend and the councillor of ward number 6, the ward adjacent to the one where Pritam’s father-in-law, Bapi Ghosh, is a councillor.
Saha said Pritam had bought this car barely a month ago and had registered it with an app cab aggregator. “He left on Saturday only after the car had returned after completing the day’s trip. He was keen on checking the car on a long-distance drive by himself,” said a neighbour at Muraripukur in Ultadanga.
At the first floor Bagbazar flat, Ghosh was crying inconsolably. “My family got wiped out in a flash. Why is God so rude to me?” he cried. Fellow councillor Saha and senior Trinamool leaders Atin Ghosh and Sashi Panja visited his house to console him. “Bapi da was extremely fond of his grandson. His life revolved around him. I don’t know how he would survive now?” said one of his followers outside the Bagbazar house.
On Saturday, the family had gone to a dhaba at Kolaghat to celebrate the birthday of Ghosh’s wife Madhumita. Ghosh could not go as he had to attend a religious programme in the locality organised by the party.
“It was a surprise birthday party planned by Pritam and his wife. After Madhumita went to their house, the family left to celebrate,” said a relative. Cops called Ghosh around 5.15am and informed him about the accident.