A hit-and-run accident on the Raebareli-Prayagraj highway left one person dead and injured four others, including BJP state secretary Abhijat Mishra. The accident took place on Wednesday night (January 15) near Pragatipuram when a speeding car hit two pedestrians.
A video of the incident purportedly showed a hatchback speeding away with one of its doors open even as two riders had fallen on the side of the highway and some locals were trying to intercept the erring vehicle.
Officials said that after being alerted about the accident, police rushed both individuals to the district hospital, where a 67-year-old man was declared dead while the other sustained injuries. Mishra and his companion, Bhanu Tiwari, were also injured in the incident.
"We were heading towards Prayagraj and stopped briefly at a hotel before continuing our journey." "Soon after resuming, we noticed two injured pedestrians on the road and stopped to assist. In the process, we were struck by another vehicle, causing injuries to me and my colleague," reported the news agency PTI.
The local Mill Area police station's SHO Rajeev Singh said, "We have taken the car involved into custody, and efforts are underway to trace the driver. The deceased's body has been sent for postmortem, and the matter is being investigated."
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City resident Shivam highlighted that the Lucknow-Prayagraj patch of the highway passing through Rae Bareli poses significant safety risk, adding that "two days ago a food delivery executive was hit by a vehicle similarly near Ratapur".
Another resident, Ashuvendra Singh, stressed the need for enhanced road safety measures, particularly at the cuts on the highway as it passes through crowded parts of the city. The incident comes amid the state government's call for efforts by all stakeholders to check road accidents and reduce by 50 per cent the fatalities and injuries caused due to them.