In a shocking incident, a speeding pickup van mowed down a home guard at Balabhadrapur in Kendrapara district on Wednesday morning.
The tragic incident happened during regular vehicle checking by the RTO enforcement squad at National Highway No. 53 in Kendrapara.
The deceased has been identified as Pabitra Kumar Mohapatra.
As per reports, the speeding van hit the home guard while he tried to stop the heavy vehicle during checking. The van vanished from the spot immediately after the incident.
A team of police chased the vehicle to nab the driver. The vehicle was seized at Laxminarayanpur Square. However, the driver is on the run.
Tension ran high following the incident with local people gathering at the place in large numbers and seeking justice for the victim. They have staged a road blockade demanding compensation for the deceased.
Derabish police rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the irate people.
“The vehicle, loaded with scrap material, was running with a great speed. The driver seems to have mowed down the home guard on duty intentionally to evade a fine. We have seized the vehicle. A search drive is on to nab the driver who is on run. After sending the body to the medical, we will start an investigation into the matter and effort will be on to nab the owner of the vehicle,” said Kendrapara Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) Pramod Sahu.