A tragic hit-and-run incident involving a speeding Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) claimed the life of a five-year-old boy and left three others injured on Puri's Grand Road on Friday morning. The accident sparked massive public outrage and protests, with locals blaming police for lapses in traffic enforcement.
Sequence of a Tragic Morning
The deceased child has been identified as Shreyansh Dey, a resident of Puri. The incident occurred around 10 am near Medical Chowk. Shreyansh was standing in the front space of a scooter driven by his 70-year-old grandfather, Nilakantha Dey. Another relative, Raja Sahoo (11), was riding pillion. They were on their way to Market Chowk to buy breakfast.
According to eyewitness Rasmita Parija, the SUV, moving in the same direction, rammed into the scooter from behind. The impact was so severe that Shreyansh was thrown off and then dragged for nearly 200 metres as the driver failed to stop. The boy was rushed to the Puri district headquarters hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Multiple Victims and Public Fury
The accident left the elderly grandfather, Nilakantha Dey, with serious injuries to his right leg. Raja Sahoo suffered severe injuries to his knee and chest. Both are currently undergoing treatment at the same hospital.
Shockingly, investigations revealed that barely 30 seconds before hitting the scooter, the same SUV had hit a cyclist near Medical Chowk. That victim, Nabakishore Maharana, a local resident, was also seriously injured.
After the collisions, several youths travelling in the SUV fled the scene. Angry locals, however, caught hold of the driver, identified as Sanjay Nayak from Bhadrak's Balasahi, who was reportedly in an inebriated state. The enraged public thrashed the driver before police could intervene. Police subsequently took Nayak into custody, produced him in court, and seized the vehicle. The SUV was almost set on fire by furious residents.
Protests and Official Response
The tragic death triggered immediate and intense protests. Locals and the child's father, Niranjan Dey, staged a demonstration outside the hospital, blaming police for poor traffic management. They blocked the road by burning tyres and raising slogans, disrupting traffic for several hours.
Senior police officials, including SP Prateek Singh and additional SP Sushil Mishra, managed to pacify the crowd. After a post-mortem, Shreyansh's body was taken under tight security to Swargadwar, where his last rites were performed in the afternoon.
"I allowed my son to go out but never imagined that would leave us forever," said a grieving Niranjan Dey, demanding strict action against those responsible. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF). Puri SP stated that police are examining the circumstances under which the accident took place.
