A road accident in Charberia Bayarmari area of Nazat in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali killed two passengers travelling in a toto and injured two others on Wednesday, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. The car involved was associated with former Trinamool Congress MLA Sukumar Mahato, who was not inside the vehicle when the accident occurred.
The incident reportedly took place when two totos were allegedly racing on the road. Mahato told Sangbad Pratidin that he had heard one of the totos lost control and collided with his car. The impact reportedly sent the toto away from the road, after which the car went into a pond.
The two toto passengers were recovered in a critical condition and taken to hospital, but they died at the site of the accident, the report said. Two other people were injured. The report did not identify the deceased or injured people, and it did not provide details of their current medical condition or the hospital where they were taken.
Local residents reportedly joined the rescue effort after the car fell into the pond. Police reached the location after receiving information about the accident and helped recover the injured people for medical treatment. The incident caused tension in the surrounding area, according to the report.
Mahato said he did not know how fast the car had been travelling. “I heard that two totos were racing. I do not know how fast the car was. I heard that two people had died. Two others were also injured. I stand with their families,” he was quoted as saying.
The accident has drawn attention to the risks created when multiple vehicles compete for space on local roads, although the precise sequence of events and responsibility will depend on the authorities’ findings. The available report does not state whether a formal case has been registered, whether the vehicle was examined, or whether police have issued a preliminary account of the crash.
The incident also brought renewed public attention to Mahato, who represented Sandeshkhali after winning the 2021 Assembly election by more than one lakh votes, according to the report. However, his political background was not connected by the source to the cause of the accident.
Police and local authorities are expected to establish the circumstances of the collision, including the movement of the totos, the car’s speed and the condition of the road at the time of the crash. Further details on the identities of the victims, the injured people and any legal action were not available in the supplied report.
