Bikers skid off rickety bridge

KOLKATA: The rickety Zeerut bridge in Alipore turned into a death trap on Wednesday night as a young trader was thrown off his bike and into the Adi Ganga through the unprotected girders.
The pillion rider''s fall was, however, cut short by two cables, on which he hung for a long time before being rescued.
Nayeem Ahmed alias Sanu (25), a Fancy Market trader, and friend Nazrul Haq (22) were returning to their Cornfield Road home from Alipore around 1.30 am when the accident happened.
Police say the speeding bike probably hit one of the potholes on the narrow bridge and skidded out of control.
"The bridge is a waiting death trap," said an officer.
As Sanu plunged into the Adi Ganga, his knees hit the girders and were shattered. Unable to swim, he drowned as his friend hung from the cables. Nazrul was rescued by a passing police patrol and taken to SSKM Hospital. Anger swept through the neighbourhood as it woke up to the tragedy.
Residents blocked the AJC Bose Road-Alipore Road crossing and took on the police, alleging that state apathy had turned the bridge into a death trap.
Neighbours of the victims too joined the protest. Cops had a tough time controlling the crowd and monitoring the rescue effort at the same time. Eighteen hours of search, however, yielded only Sanu''s lifeless body.