Tractor-trolley driver dies after crash near Ujjain tool booth

Ujjain: A tractor-trolley driver died and several persons were injured late Friday night when a van, carrying passengers from Delhi, rammed into a wheat-laden tractor-trolley from behind near Tulahedra toll plaza on Agra Road, Ujjain. Enraged by the accident, villagers set the van on fire and blocked traffic at the toll plaza.According to Ghattia police station in-charge Karan Khowal, the collision caused the tractor-trolley to veer off the road and overturn. The driver, Vijay Solanki of Brahman Kheda village, was trapped under the tractor and died. His associate Rajesh Sharma, who was seated in the trolley, sustained injuries.The van was carrying 24 passengers on its way to Ujjain. Van driver, Shivkumar, a resident of Punjab and four passengers including two children were injured.Villagers gathered at the spot and on seeing Solanki trapped under the tractor, set the van on fire. Police teams from Ghattia, Raghavi and Panbeehar stations reached the scene, and the fire brigade extinguished the blaze. The injured were taken to Ujjain's Charak Hospital, where Shivkumar is currently undergoing treatment. Two other injured passengers have been admitted to a private hospital.Villagers also blocked the Tulahedra toll, alleging that the toll's crane arrived late at the site, which they said cost Solanki his life. They further alleged that when the crane did arrive, it had no strap to lift the tractor. The wheat loaded in the trolley also spilled and was damaged. Villagers demanded action against toll staff for negligence. Police assured an inquiry, following which the blockade was lifted.Khowal said that a case has been registered against the van driver, and an arson case filed on the complaint of the van owner. Following a complaint by villagers, Panbeehar police wrote to the toll company regarding the crane operator's negligence, after which the operator was removed from duty.