Official's Car Mows Down Teenager, Speeds Away

SRIKAKULAM: A 14-year-old boy was mowed down by a speeding car belonging to Srikakulam district deputy commissioner of prohibition and excise Surendra Prasad at New Bridge Junction in Srikakulam late Friday night.

The victim, D Vidyadhara Rao, died on the spot while his maternal uncle Viswanatham, who suffered severe injuries, is reported to be out of danger.

While the family members and an eyewitness alleged that the driver involved in the hit-and-run incident was none other than the deputy commissioner himself who was in inebriated condition, the Srikakulam police claimed that it has not been not ascertained so far. However, the bereaved family alleged that the police were trying to save the officer.

It was learnt that one of the eyewitnesses chased the car on his motorcycle and caught hold of the driver who was brought to the RIMS. The eyewitnesses alleged that the accused was in an inebriated condition and they were shocked to hear him shout that he was the deputy commissioner of prohibition and excise Surendra Prasad. Surprisingly, the accused managed to escape from the hospital.

Vidyadhara Rao was a class IX student at a local government high school and his father D Eswara Rao runs a fast food centre near PN Colony Junction.

According to the family members, Vidyadhara Rao, along with his maternal uncle, was on his way back to home on a bicycle. At around midnight, a speeding Swift DZire car (AP 35 TV 1515) hit the bicycle near the New Bridge Junction and sped away. Vidyadhara Rao, the pillion, died on the spot, while his uncle received severe injuries and is undergoing treatment at Rajiv Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).

The family members of Vidyadhara Rao refused to send the body for postmortem and demanded arrest of Surendra Prasad. They also entered into a heated argument with the cops near the post mortem block, before Srikakulam Traffic DSP Srinivasa Rao convinced the family members and shifted the body for postmortem.

When contacted, the DSP said the family members were holding the deputy commissioner responsible for the mishap, while there were also witnesses saying that it was the driver who was behind the steering wheel when the accident occurred. “However, we are yet to ascertain the facts and identify as to who was driving the vehicle. We have registered a case and no body has been arrested so far. Investigation is on,” he said.