Nagpur: Just over a month after a BTech student was crushed to death by a speeding truck on Godhani Road, another accident at the same spot triggered massive outrage in the area on Tuesday. A 31-year-old woman, Ashwini Phalke, was mowed down by a gravel-laden truck, while her six-year-old son, Advik, whom she managed to push to safety moments before the collision, is battling for life at a private hospital. Her husband, Pankaj, who was driving the scooter had a miraculous escape. Some roadside shops, kiosks and carts were wrecked by the crash. Residents blocked the road and traffic remained suspended for more than four hours.The trucker fled the scene, sparking unrest in Godhani with residents questioning the administration’s continued inaction, despite repeated complaints on dangerous traffic conditions.As per preliminary information, mother and her child who were riding pillion were tossed off the two-wheeler when it was rammed by the Godhani-bound gravel-carrying truck, while her husband Pankaj fell on the other side, several feet away from the truck’s killer wheels.In a desperate move to save her son, Ashwini shoved him aside, but came under the heavy tyres, which crushed her skull, killing her on the spot.There are two versions of the crash. While some accounts suggest the truck hit the scooter from behind, causing the occupants to fall, others claim the vehicle skidded before the truck ran over the woman. Mankapur police are scrambling for CCTV footage and examining the sequence of events.The driver, Sheikh Jameel, 45, resident of Swarnagar, was nabbed after Mankapur police examined CCTV footage and zeroed in on the truck. Jameel was reportedly transporting gravel to a construction site.The incident triggered a major law-and-order situation, with hundreds of residents gathering at the spot. Additional commissioner of police Vinita Sahu rushed to pacify the crowd. Senior officials from Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Nagpur Improvement Trust and Maharashtra State Electricity Board were also summoned.Residents highlighted the absence of streetlights, rampant encroachments on both sides, illegal occupation of footpaths and roads, and prolonged construction work that narrowed the carriageway. They also complained about speeding heavy vehicles, reckless driving and absence of traffic surveillance and regular patrolling, despite a police station on the same stretch.In the earlier accident on September 30, Muskan Khiyaldasani, a second-year BTech student, who was travelling pillion on an electric scooter near Zingabai Takli was mowed down by a truck. With two women dying within 34 days, residents demanded accountability rather than assurances.Sahu said police would soon launch a joint drive with civic agencies to remove encroachments, clear footpaths, improve road width and ensure proper illumination.
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