Two people died and three were seriously injured after being hit by a speeding car, reportedly being driven by a leader of the ruling BJP, in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday night.
People caught and assaulted the erring car driver before handing him over to the police. However, further outrage erupted when people came to learn on Saturday morning that the BJP leader was not in police custody anymore and had mysteriously absconded.
A large crowd staged a protest and blocked the highway, demanding the immediate arrest and strict action against the accused.
According to the police, the car rammed into people sitting outside their homes beside a bonfire in the Porsa town.
Five people were seriously wounded, and other people rushed them to the hospital. During treatment, Ramdatta Rathore (65) and Arnav Lashkar (11) succumbed to their injuries.
Meanwhile, the people caught and thrashed the car driver before handing him over to the police. He was identified as Dipendra Bhadoria, the Mandal President of the BJP Yuva Morcha.
However, the people came to know today that Dipendra had escaped from the police custody. Consequently, a large crowd raised slogans and staged a chakka jam on the highway.
A heavy police force led by SDOP Ravi Bhadoria reached the spot. The police official managed to pacify the irate crowd by assuring the protesters that the absconding BJP leader would be arrested and that stringent action would be taken against him.