A cyclist died after being hit by a pickup van on the Naxalbari-Panighata state highway near Kalabari Mor. The victim was identified as Philip Kerketta.
Police arrested the pickup driver named Rajen Barmen from the toll plaza area and seized the vehicle. The accident took place on Friday morning when Philip was returning home on his cycle with milk. A speeding pickup van coming from the Naxalbari side hit him directly from the front.
Local people rushed the injured cyclist to Naxalbari Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Angry residents blocked the road at Kalabari Mor for a long time to protest the accident.
Police from Naxalbari police station and the traffic guard reached the spot and brought the situation under control. The body was sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem. Police have started an investigation into the matter.
