Agitators beat up Kolkata traffic sergeant

KOLKATA - A traffic sergeant was severely beaten up by an angry mob after he prevented them from torching a bus that had hit and severely injured a pedestrian here Sunday.

The traffic sergeant, Biswajit Badiya, 45, was on duty at Rabindra Sarani when a private mini bus hit a pedestrian, police said.

The pedestrian was identified as Shankar Singh, 37, a local auto-rickshaw driver. He sustained a critical injury on his right leg and was admitted to a hospital.

“Following the incident, people crowded there and started damaging the bus without giving passengers a chance to dismount,” Biswarup Ghosh, deputy commissioner of police (north division) said.

“The agitators also attempted to set fire to the bus, however, the sergeant requested them to calm down. On this, the mob turned violent and started beating him up,” he added.

A police contingent rushed to the spot and rescued the sergeant. He was admitted to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital and later discharged.

According to the police no arrests have been made so far.