In a tragic incident of road rage in Odisha's Sundergarh district, a pickup van driver was allegedly beaten to death by truck drivers, leading to arrests and a murder investigation.
Key Points
- Pickup van driver Rajesh Munda died after allegedly being assaulted by truck drivers in Sundergarh district, Odisha.
- The incident occurred following a minor accident where Munda's van reportedly hit a parked truck.
- Police have arrested three truck drivers from Bihar on murder charges in connection with the road rage incident.
- Authorities have clarified that the incident is being treated as murder, not lynching, and are searching for other suspects.
A pickup van driver was allegedly beaten to death by a group of truck drivers in an incident of road rage in Odisha's Sundergarh district on Friday, police said.
Road Rage Incident Details
The deceased was identified as Rajesh Munda (34), a resident of Gultha village in the Bhasma police station area, they said.
The incident happened in the afternoon near Khamarbahal Chowk on the Coal Corridor Road after Munda's pickup van allegedly hit the driver of a truck parked nearby.
"Following the accident, nearby truck drivers allegedly assaulted the pickup driver. The injured driver was rushed to NTPC Medical College, where he was declared dead," SDPO Nirmal Mohapatra said.
Police Investigation and Arrests
DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said at least three truck drivers were arrested in connection with the incident, and efforts were underway to apprehend others suspected to be involved.
"It is a case of murder and not lynching," he told PTI.
Police sources said around 10 truck drivers were allegedly involved in the assault.
The three arrested accused are from Bihar and have been booked on murder charges, police said.
The situation in the area is normal, with no disruption to traffic movement on the Coal Corridor Road, they said.
