Bhikangaon: Angered over death of a 56-year-old person in a road accident, villagers staged chakka jam on Khandwa – Baroda state highway on Sunday.
Accident took place at Saikhedi, near Bhikangaon, where a rashly driven truck crushed one Dayaram Chittar, a resident of Saikhedi to death, while he was crossing a road on Sunday morning. After chakka jam, large number of heavy vehicles including trucks and passenger buses were stranded in a long queue on both sides of the road resulting in trouble for the commuters.
Not only commuters, but judicial magistrate first class and tehsildar Pratap Singh Agasya from Khandwa also had to face the brunt of villagers, who were stranded in the jam. Except, ambulance, janani express and students, villagers did not allow anyone to commute on the road.
Villagers claimed that even after repeated request to the concerned authority and the local administration for construction of speed breakers at various locations on the highway, authority did not paid heed to their request resulting in the death of one more person.
Villagers claimed that driver dragged Dayaram for more than 50 metres and that resulted in serious injuries. Passersby immediately took him to the district hospital in Khargone, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
As soon as news of his death spread in the village, villagers put tyres and boulders on the road and staged chakka jam. Large number of women and kids also joined the protest. Failing to resume traffic on the highway even after an hour, police force from Bhikangaon police station rushed to the spot and cane charged the protestors. Police also detained some of the protestors and case has been registered against unidentified protestors for blocking the highway.
Villagers not only staged chakkam jam on the state highway, but blocked other main roads in the village as well by putting stones, tyres on the roads.
Sub-divisional officer (police) RR Awasya informed that riot control vehicle and extra police force from district reserved police (DRP) lines, Khargone have been called to control the situation. Naib tehsilkar Rahul Dabar and Mamta Mimrot, who were present at the site to pacify the situation had called Kalyan toll booth’s general manager Nilesh Vyas, who immediately sent machinery to the spot and began speed breaker construction at various locations on the road. Only after that, villagers allowed vehicles to commute.
