Korba. A tragic road accident in Korba district, Chhattisgarh, has cast a pall of gloom over the entire region. A 24-year-old laborer died on the spot after being hit by a speeding tractor on the Safalva road under the Chetma outpost of the Pali police station area around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The accident was so severe that the tractor and trolley overturned after the collision. The driver fled the scene. Sumit Dhanwar, a 24-year-old resident of the Gram Panchayat Safalva, was returning home on foot from his usual work in Bari Umrao village. While walking on the Safalva road that evening, Sumit was hit from behind by a speeding tractor. The impact was so severe that Sumit fell heavily on the roadside and was seriously injured.
According to eyewitnesses, the tractor driver lost control of the vehicle after the collision, and the tractor and trolley overturned on the roadside. Sumit died on the spot after being crushed under the uncontrolled tractor. Nearby villagers immediately informed the police about the accident. Upon receiving the information, Chaitma outpost in-charge Afsar Khan arrived at the scene with his team. However, by then the tractor driver had fled. With the help of villagers, the police moved the overturned tractor-trolley to the side and retrieved the body of the deceased Sumit. Following this, a Panchnama was prepared and the body was sent for a postmortem. Police have seized the crashed tractor-trolley from the scene and have launched a search for the absconding driver.
Villagers reported that the tractor-trolley belonged to Sumit Singh, a resident of Pali, who works as a contractor in the hilly region. The identity of the driver at the time of the accident is still being confirmed, although preliminary information suggests that the driver was drunk and excessive speeding caused the accident. The deceased, Sumit Dhanwar, belonged to a poor family. He worked as a laborer to support his family, while his father was a farmer. The sudden death of Sumit, considered the sole support of the family, has cast a pall of gloom over the family. The family and villagers are expressing deep outrage and demanding the immediate arrest of the driver.
Locals stated that several accidents have occurred on the Safalva Road due to the speeding and recklessness of large vehicles. Villagers have urged the police administration to increase regular patrolling on this route and take strict action against drunk driving. The Chetma outpost police have initiated an investigation by establishing a case file. Police say that further action will be taken based on the postmortem report and technical evidence. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest the absconding driver. This tragic incident has once again highlighted the problem of speeding and illegal drunk driving in the area. Villagers have demanded the administration to increase road safety, launch awareness campaigns, and implement speed control measures in accident-prone areas.
