A 22-year-old food delivery agent was burnt to death in Salt Lake on Wednesday evening after a speeding car, which caught fire following a collision, rammed into his two-wheeler. The incident occurred near the bridge connecting Salt Lake and VIP Road, close to Kestopur.
According to Bidhannagar police deputy commissioner Aneesh Sarkar, two cars had collided on the bridge. One car lost control, struck a lamp post and footpath railing, and burst into flames. The delivery agent, identified as Soumen Mandal of Hiranmaypur in South 24-Parganas, was thrown against the railing, and his trousers became entangled, preventing his escape from the fire.
Three occupants of the cars — Manas Agarwal, a GST advocate, Nilanjan Basu, and Achintya Chanda — along with a pedestrian, Aditya Jha, were injured. Agarwal was rescued from the badly gutted car, while Basu sustained multiple injuries and Chanda suffered a foot injury.
Eyewitnesses alleged delays in the police response and claimed officers were filming instead of initiating rescue efforts. The situation worsened when a mob pelted stones at emergency vehicles, delaying fire tenders. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and restore order.
Authorities said CCTV footage is being reviewed to determine the exact sequence of events, as tensions remain high in the area following the tragedy.
