BERHAMPUR: Two men were killed in separate road mishaps in Ganjam district on Thursday with their families terming the deaths as planned murders.
In the first incident, 31-year-old Krishna Patra of Jhadabai village died after a speeding car rammed into his motorcycle near Jhadabandh chowk under Kabisuryanagar police limits.
The crash was so severe that the car turned turtle after colliding with the bike. Krishna was thrown off his motorcycle and hit a tree. After the mishap, the car driver managed to crawl out of the car and fled the spot. Krishna was taken to the local hospital where he was declared brought dead.
On being informed, Krishna’s family members reached the spot and along with locals, staged protest at Jhadabandh chowk for around four hours demanding immediate arrest of the driver. The agitators alleged that the accident was intentional and Krishna’s death was a planned murder. They sought a thorough inquiry into the incident.
Later, police reached the spot and seized both the vehicles involved in the crash. Krishna’s body was sent for postmortem. The agitators called off the protest after being assured of an impartial probe. Police said the autopsy report would ascertain the exact reason of Krishna’s death.
Similarly, a 29-year-old youth was killed in a suspected road crash near Bhatakumarada village under Purushottampur police limits. The deceased was identified as Kanha Parida of Ambagaon village.
Sources said Kanha left home to visit his relatives at Pandia village in the morning. He was supposed to reach his destination within a hour. When the youth did not arrive, his relatives informed his family members and started a search for him. Later, Kanha was found dead in a canal near Bhatakumarada and his bike was found lying at a distance.
Circumstantial evidence hinted it to be an accidental death as the signboard along the road was damaged at the mishap site. However, Kanha’s family members alleged that he was murdered and the killers made it appear as an accidental death.
On being informed, police reached the spot and sent the body to the local hospital for autopsy. Investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the youth’s death, said police.