Bhayandar : In a freak mishap, a 20-year-old youth was crushed to death after the heavy gate of an ashram in Bhayandar fell on him late on Friday night.
The gate crashed after being hit by a truck which was reversed abruptly by its driver. The mishap triggered tension in the region after the relatives of the deceased along with an irate mob of more than 200 people went on a rampage in the ashram premises after learning about the youth’s death on Saturday morning.
The timely intervention of the police avoided any major untoward incident.
According to the police the incident was reported from the Sant Nirankari Satsang Bhawan ashram located in the Navghar village area of Bhayandar (east) about an hour past midnight on Friday. The deceased, Pankaj Saroj (20), was a Third Year B.Sc student of Abhinav College and stayed in the nearby Shiv Shakti Nagar area of Bhayandar (east).
Pankaj, a Sant Nirankari disciple, was a regular visitor of the ashram. On the fateful night, Pankaj opened the gates, for a truck to move out of the ashram premises. As he was moving the gate back, the driver suddenly reversed the vehicle and crashed into the gate. Such was the impact of the crash that the gate collapsed on Pankaj.
People who were present in the ashram rushed Pankaj to a nearby hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival. As the news of Pankaj’s death reached his home and locality, as many as 200 people alleging foul play, stormed into the ashram and went on a rampage by breaking the furniture and sound system on Saturday at about 10 am.
“We have registered a case under section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code against the driver who is yet to be identified. He will be nabbed soon,” informed Senior Police Inspector Ram E. Bhalsingh. Further investigations are on.
