Truck runs over teen girl, mob blocks road

VADODARA: Death of a 13-year-old girl in a road accident on Undera-Refinery Road brought traffic to a grinding halt in Gorwa on Friday evening.
Angry locals came out in large numbers and set tyres on fire to protest against the authorities. The police had to rush to the spot and resort to lathi-charge to disperse the mob. It took around two hours for the police to restor normalcy.
The police said that the girl identified as Prachi Chaudhary, a resident of Undera was on her way to the school when the accident occurred.
"She was going to Sophia School when a truck rammed in her bicycle on Undera-Refinery Road. Prachi suffered severe injuries on her head and was rushed to a private hospital nearby," said Jawaharnagar police inspector, K P Chauhan.
"However, she died before the treatment could begin. Prachi's father works as an engineer in a private firm and she has two siblings," Chauhan told TOI.
When the news of the girl's death spread, residents of Undera Road and Gorwa led by local leader Chirag Solanki came out on roads and began protesting. They stopped the traffic and raised slogans against the authorities.
The police said that the locals were upset with Vadodara Urban Development Authority (VUDA) as Gorwa is under its jurisdiction.
"They have been requesting VUDA to broaden the road considering the heavy traffic flow there but the authorities haven't paid any attention. So the locals vented their anger on Friday," the police said. Some locals were also detained by the Gorwa police during the protests.
Meanwhile, the police arrested the truck driver identified as Vijay and seized his vehicle. Sources said that Waghodia BJP MLA Madhu Srivastava too had reached the spot to pacify the locals but he was reportedly heckled by them.