A road crash in Sandeshkhali’s Bayarmari area killed a toto driver and a woman and left another person seriously injured after an SUV linked to former Trinamool Congress MLA Sukumar Mahato collided with the three-wheeler before both vehicles fell into a roadside pond. The SUV driver was reported missing after the crash, while Mahato was not in the vehicle at the time.
According to the report, the SUV was travelling towards Kolkata to bring Mahato back when it collided head-on with a toto travelling from the Malancha side towards Sandeshkhali. The crash took place in the Bayarmari area, where the vehicles went into a pond beside the road.
Several people travelling in the toto were seriously injured. Local residents rescued those trapped in the vehicles and took the injured to Minakhan Hospital. Doctors at the hospital declared the toto driver, Mujibur Rahman, 47, and a woman identified as Mahima Bibi, 50, dead. One other injured person was receiving treatment at the hospital, the report said.
Najat police reached the site after receiving information about the accident. The report said the driver of the SUV fled after the collision and that Mahato had been unable to contact him. Details of any police case, including the driver’s identity and the circumstances leading to the loss of control, were not provided in the supplied report.
Mizanur Molla, identified as an eyewitness, described hearing a loud impact before seeing the black SUV strike the toto and plunge into the pond. He said local residents gathered at the site, entered the water and moved the SUV to pull the toto out. According to his account, rescuers took considerable time to remove the woman from the vehicle.
Sandeshkhali BJP MLA Sanat Sardar also reached the accident site and assured support to the injured and the families of those who died. He urged Mahato to assist the affected families.
Mahato said he would stand by both bereaved families and help those injured in the accident. “Whether I was in the car or not, since two people have lost their lives in an accident involving my car, I will stand by the two families and provide all possible help,” he was quoted as saying.
The immediate next steps are expected to include the police investigation into the collision, efforts to locate the missing driver and further action based on the findings. The supplied report did not provide details of any arrest or formal police statement.
