Kolkata: Angry mob clashes with police after speeding bus kills two youth

Traffic came to a grinding halt on Kolkata's Eastern Metropolitan Bypass on Saturday morning after angry locals clashed with the police. The incident took place soon after a speeding bus killed two youth at the busy Chingrighata intersection. Atleast five buses and several two wheelers were set ablaze by the mob protesting the deaths. According to locals, the deceased were travelling on a bicycle when a speeding bus jumped the signal and hit them. The two youth, identified as local college students died on the spot. Soon, angry residents from the area blocked the road and started pelting stones at the police. Cops had to lathi-charge and fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Senior officials of the Bidhannager police commission rushed to the spot with additional forces to bring the situation under control. However, traffic was completely thrown out of gear for several hours on the crucial EM Bypass stretch which is part of the main road that connects the Kolkata airport. Local Trinamool Congress MLA Sujit Bose, who met the family members of the deceased assured full government support and promised locals that steps would be taken to avoid such accidents in the future. "They want a subway in the area for safe crossing at the intersection. I will place the demand before the government and all necessary actions will be taken," Bose assured. Such incidents have also been reported earlier in the state. Last week, a state run bus fell off a bridge into a river claiming 44 lives in Murshidabad district. Earlier this month, in a similar accident eight lives were lost when a bus fell into a canal at Kahragpur in West Midnapore district. Source: India Today