New Delhi: A driver in Patna was reportedly beaten to death after he ran over three homeless children asleep on a footpath on Tuesday night with an SUV. Three children died in the accident and a fourth was severely injured.
Some locals, however, claimed to NDTV that the driver, Sourav Ganguly, died after his car hit a light pole. Ganguly’s co-passenger Manish Kumar was also severely beaten, reports said.
The government announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia compensation for the children’s families after slum-dwellers held a sit in protest, burnt tyres and blocked the road, Times of India reported. Rohit Kumar, Harendra Kumar and Raju Manjhi, aged between 11 and 13, lost their lives in the accident.
“We are investigating the incident…The SUV was badly damaged in the accident,” Baliram Choudhary, additional superintendent of police (Patna City), told Hindustan Times. The authorities are reportedly looking into whether the driver was drunk.
“The accident took place because of negligence of the driver. It seems he was sleepy while driving. The car had climbed the about two-feet high footpath,” SP Baliram Choudhary told Indian Express.
CCTV footage shows both the accident and Ganguly and Kumar being beaten after. According to Times of India, people can be seen beating a still body lying on the road with sticks.