A three-year-old boy and his parents survived after a Mahindra Thar crossed the median divider on Kolkata’s Parama flyover and crashed into their Maruti Alto K10 on Saturday morning. The family’s driver was also injured, while police arrested the SUV driver on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The crash occurred around 8.30am near the Hindu Burial Ground in Topsia as the Thar was travelling from Park Circus towards EM Bypass. Police said the SUV lost control, rammed the median, jumped across it and struck the Alto travelling in the opposite direction, from EM Bypass towards Park Circus.
The impact severely damaged the right and driver’s side of the Alto. The vehicle’s windshield was also badly damaged and its airbags deployed. One wheel of the Thar came off and rolled away after the collision, according to a senior police officer quoted in the report.
The occupants of the Alto were identified as Anirban Banerjee, 40, Swarnali Roy, 38, and their son, Rayan Banerjee. They were taken to Fortis Hospital. The mother and child were released after treatment, while Banerjee remained admitted with a fracture in one leg. The family lives in Sitalatala near Eco Park in New Town and had been travelling to the boy’s school on Park Street for a parent-teacher meeting.
The car’s driver, Gopal Chowdhury, 32, was admitted to SSKM Hospital. Chowdhury is from Udaypally in Rajarhat and regularly drove the child to school, police said.
The driver of the Thar, Rahul Singh, a resident of Rabindranagar near Garden Reach, was arrested. Police said Singh was in his mid-20s and had admitted to drinking through the night before driving towards Science City. It was not immediately clear whether he was alone in the SUV. Police said other occupants may have left the scene after the crash.
The collision brought traffic on both carriageways of the flyover to a standstill. Police temporarily diverted vehicles bound for the flyover from both the Park Circus and EM Bypass ends to the Park Circus connector below. The diversion continued for about 45 minutes, after which wrecking cranes were used to remove the damaged vehicles.
Motorists and police personnel helped rescue those trapped in the Alto and arranged ambulances. Police said a crane is stationed on the flyover to enable the quick removal of vehicles after crashes. Officers also said the median divider has openings at several points to allow emergency intervention.
Police said the long, smooth stretch of the flyover presents risks from both slow-moving and speeding vehicles, although excessive speed can have more serious consequences. Investigators were examining CCTV footage and probing the Thar’s registration and vehicle status. The SUV carried a pan-India registration rather than one linked to a specific state transport authority, police said.
