A 24-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a crash on NH-18 near Rawatara crossing in Chandil, Seraikela-Kharsawan district, on Tuesday morning, prompting villagers to block the highway for eight hours over repeated road-safety concerns and compensation for the victim’s family.
The deceased was identified as Abhijit Gorai. According to local residents, Gorai had parked his motorcycle and was standing beside the road when a speeding trailer travelling from the Chandil side hit him at around 8.30 am. He sustained critical injuries and was taken to Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur, but died on the way.
After news of his death reached the village, residents brought the body back to the accident site and placed it on the highway. The action blocked traffic on both sides of the Tata-Purulia-Dhanbad-Bokaro road and led to long queues of vehicles, disrupting movement through the corridor for several hours.
Residents told the Times of India that accidents had become frequent near the Rawatara crossing because of speeding heavy vehicles. They demanded immediate measures including speed breakers, dividers on both sides of the crossing and stricter regulation of heavy vehicles using the road.
The protesters also sought adequate compensation for Gorai’s family. Their demands linked the fatal crash to broader concerns about how high-speed freight traffic is managed at crossings used by local residents and road users.
Nimdih police station officer-in-charge Dilson Birua reached the site with a police team and attempted to persuade the protesters to end the blockade. Chandil police station officer-in-charge Santan Tiwari also visited the location during the protest.
The blockade was cleared by the evening, Birua said. Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the crash and are also working to identify the vehicle involved, according to the officer. The police statement did not confirm whether the vehicle alleged by residents to have struck Gorai had been located or whether any enforcement action had been taken.
