CHENNAI: A two-year-old boy was crushed to death in Kundrathur by a tipper lorry even as his mother warned him to move away after he had been dropped from school along with his elder brother on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said Sikshanraj (2) and Darshanraj (5), born to Vinayagam and Mageshwari, residents of Thirumudivakkam Main Road, Kundrathur, were attending the same school after it was opened this academic year.
On Wednesday, Vinayagam was at work and Mageshwari, as usual, came to take the children. She grabbed their school bags and lunch bags and was taking them home when Sikshanraj began running towards her despite being warned by his mother.
A speeding tipper lorry heading to Kundrathur ran over the boy, killing him on the spot before his mother’s eyes.
The lorry driver fearing mob justice abandoned the vehicle and sneaked away from the spot.
However, locals gathered at the spot and staged a road roko citing that lorries had been plying in that stretch without any speed regulations. They demanded that police take steps to regulate lorries besides laying speed breakers.
After a 30-minute stir, the body was moved for autopsy following assurances from Kundrathur Police that their demands would be looked into. Poonamallee Traffic investigation wing registered a case and are looking for the driver.
“It was Mageshwari’s routine to collect them as the children would require assistance to cross the road after being dropped in the evening. The road is busy and a number of tipper lorries ply on that stretch making it difficult to cross”, said a police official.