2 med students mowed down by truck after bike collision in Behala

Kolkata: Two third-year medical students were killed in a road accident in Behala early on Sunday when their motorbike crashed into another two-wheeler and they fell on the road and were run over by a truck from behind.The accident took place around 3.30 am at the crossing of James Long Sarani and Purba Para Road. Police identified the victims as Anand Priyadarshi (23), who was riding the bike, and Md Faiyaz Zaman Mallick (23), both students of ESI Medical College and Hospital, Joka.
Priyadarshi, a resident of Patna, was riding his new 400cc roadster, with Mallick, who hailed from Bhangar, on the pillion. Both were wearing helmets, but the impact was so severe that they died on the spot.Police said at least six junior doctors had left the Joka campus on three bikes for a late-night ride, planning to stop for tea and snacks near Behala Chowrasta."CCTV footage shows the bike ahead of them suddenly slowed down, possibly to take a right turn. The two medical students rammed into the two-wheeler and were thrown off their bike. Before they could recover, a truck coming from behind at high speed ran them over," said a senior Kolkata Police officer.The truck fled the spot after the accident.Local residents alerted police, and the two were rushed to ESI Hospital in Joka — the same institution where they were students. Doctors declared them brought dead.The stretch of James Long Sarani where the accident occurred witnesses heavy movement of goods vehicles during the early morning hours.An unnatural death case has been registered at Thakurpukur Police Station, and investigators are examining whether speeding, road conditions or negligence by the truck driver led to the crash.Priyadarshi stayed at a rented flat in Panchanantala, Tollygunge. Mallick had a residence in Salt Lake. Hospital officials said Priyadarshi's body was later taken to Patna by his family.Prabir Bhattacharya, a neighbour in Tollygunge, said Anand had grown up in the same apartment complex, though his family had moved out three years ago. "I have seen him grow up here. I can't believe he is no more," he said. "The two often used to head out together for late-night tea breaks. Police should probe how the accident took place as Priyadarshi was a very safe rider," said a third-year student of the college.Police said statements of eyewitnesses are being recorded and CCTV footage is being examined to piece together the sequence of events. "We are trying to trace the truck and arrest the driver at the earliest," an officer said.The deaths cast a pall of gloom over the ESI Medical College campus, with students and faculty expressing shock at the loss."They were brilliant students. By the time they were brought back to the hospital, they were already dead. We lost two very bright minds," said principal Nandakishore Alva.(With inputs from Sumati Yengkhom and Debobrato Shome)