In a tragic incident, a 15-year-old boy was run over by a lorry at Rajiv Gandhi square here on Tuesday evening.
Sub-inspector A Pankajakshan told Express that the boy, Bharat Kumaran, was returning after school, when a lorry hit his cycle and was run over. Driver of the heavy vehicle, Thirupathy, hailing from Hosur, was taken into custody.
Bharat is the son of Coumaran, working as a driver with the Labour Department. The boy’s mother passed away a few years ago.
Bharat, a class X student at a private school, was waiting at the key traffic signal at the Rajiv Gandhi square. After the green signal, he started straight, but the heavy vehicle, going to the Tindivanam side slightly touched the cycle, following which Bharat lost his balance. He fell down and came under the wheels of the lorry and died on the spot.
Public, who gathered at the accident site said the boy’s body was left unattended for about 20 minutes. The delay in the arrival of the ambulance also angered the crowd, who gathered at the junction and argued with the traffic police personnel.
The accident shocked the passersby, who slammed the traffic police for not restricting heavy vehicle movement during rush hours. The police had recently come out with a proposal to regulate the timings for heavy vehicles inside the town areas, which faced severe opposition from the traders.
Hundreds of vehicles pass through the Rajiv Gandhi Square signal, which is one of the key traffic junctions before entering the East Coast Road to Chennai, Tindivanam and to the town areas.