Woman, minor son crushed to death by speeding truck in Kalyan town; protest erupts

Thane, Jan 8 (PTI) A speeding truck under service of the local civic corporation fatally ran over a 37-year-old woman and her minor son in Kalyan town of Thane district on Wednesday morning, police said.

The victims, identified as Nisha Someskar and her son Ansh (3), were crossing a busy road when the truck struck them, resulting in their instant death, they said.

The accident occurred on the busy stretch between Shivaji Chowk and the Durgadi Bridge, a road notorious for speeding vehicles in the Lalchowki area of Kalyan.

The truck involved in the accident bore markings indicating its service to the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC). Authorities confirmed the vehicle was operating under KDMC's service.

The Bazarpet police detained the driver shortly after the accident, which sparked outrage among local citizens and political representatives with protest erupting in the area.

Angered by the incident, former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLA Prakash Bhoir led a protest in Lalchowki, accusing municipal authorities, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and the traffic police of negligence.

"This tragic loss of innocent lives is the result of the inaction of authorities. Speeding vehicles, lack of traffic management, and removed dividers have turned this road into a death trap," Bhoir said.

Citizens joined the protest, demanding accountability and immediate action to prevent such accidents. The crowd blocked the road, bringing traffic in the area to a standstill for hours.

Residents and protesters criticized the lack of enforcement by the traffic police and the absence of proper road safety measures.

"This road (where the accident took place) is under MMRDA's jurisdiction, but they have ignored its maintenance. Dividers must be reinstalled, and traffic police should patrol the area consistently to control speeding. Without these measures, such tragedies will continue," Bhoir added. PTI COR RSY