Chased by cops, mask-less youth dies in Banka

PATNA: A 20-year-old youth of

Banka

district had to die for not wearing a face mask and his 18-year-old friend is struggling for life at a government hospital.

The motorcycle of the duo hit a tree as they tried to escape while policemen were chasing them for violating Covid-19 lockdown norms by not wearing mask.

The incident took place at Katoria in the district when the victims, Santosh Yadav and Manjesh Yadav, had gone to a market on Monday. After they were asked by cops to stop, the duo fled and met an accident.

The police allegedly chased the duo for nearly two kilometres. The duo suffered grievous injuries. Both were rushed to the Katoria referral hospital, where Santosh succumbed to his injuries. Manjesh’s relatives said both his hands and legs fractured due to “police highhandedness”.

DIG (Bhagalpur range) Sujeet Kumar said the victims were neither wearing face masks nor helmet. Banka deputy SP Madan Kumar Anand visited the spot and inquired about the incident on Monday.

Banka SP Arvind Kumar Gupta, however, couldn’t be reached for his comments. Locals, on the other hand, said senior police officers swung into action when Belhar MLA Ramdeo Yadav took up the matter with higher officials.

Senior police officers have assured the family of action against the erring cops and adequate compensation.