MAHBUBNAGAR: In a ghastly road accident at Balanagar crossroads in the district, six persons, including two children, died when a DCM van hit a stationary autorickshaw on Friday. The victims, hailing from Medigadda, Nandaram and Bibinagar thandas, were returning home after purchasing vegetables and household articles at a weekly fair at Balanagar when the tragedy struck them.
Upon receiving information, the police rushed to the accident spot and shifted the injured to a hospital and bodies for post-mortem examination. Following the accident, vehicular traffic came to a halt on the National Highway 44. The situation was further aggravated when the relatives of the victims staged a dharna on the road and set fire to the van.
The police tried to pacify the agitators who refused to budge unless the government assured them that justice would be done to them. They even locked up the Jedcherla Circle inspector and Balanagar SI in a shop accusing them of failing to manage traffic on a day when the weekly fair was organised.