A 36-year-old lorry driver was killed in a road accident after a speeding cab knocked him down near Nagenahalli Gate on Sunday evening. The lorry driver Irshad Khan of Nagavara was trying to cross the road after a commercial tax officer reportedly stopped him for routine check. Police said the lorry (KA 01 2552), carrying iron rods, was coming to the city from Doddaballapur when it was flagged down by commercial tax officers for checking documents near Nagenahalli Gate. As he was crossing the road to meet the officials, a cab (KA 03 AA 2836) coming from Yelahanka towards Doddabalapur knocked him down. Irshad hit his head against the road median and died on the spot.
Fearing public wrath, the cab driver as well as the commercial tax officer and his staff who had stopped the lorry driver, fled the spot. Hundreds of locals staged a protest on the road demanding that the commercial tax officer should be taken into custody, since he was responsible for the accident. Traffic was halted for more than an hour as they refused to move the body till some action was taken. When the police tried to intervene and clear the protesters, the public threw stones at the police, leaving Chikajalla traffic police inspector Mr Srinivas and some policemen injured.
Police had to lathi-charge the mob to clear the traffic and disperse the crowd. Later, police managed to send the body of the deceased to M.S. Ramiah hospital for autopsy. The Yelahanka traffic police have registered a case under Section 304 (a) and are investigating.