Ranchi: Four people were killed and another was critically injured in two separate road accidents in Ranchi district in the 12 hours since Thursday night, raising fresh concerns even as city police carried out enforcement against traffic violations, rash driving and illegal parking.In the first incident, a speeding car rammed into the rear of a trailer truck early Friday on the highway under Bedo police station limits on the outskirts of Ranchi. A man died, while another suffered grievous injuries.Locals said the driver may have either lost control of the vehicle or dozed off at the wheel. The trailer driver fled after the crash.DSP (Bedo) Deepak Kumar said police had seized the trailer and were trying to establish the identity of the deceased. “Preliminary information suggests the victims were from West Bengal,” he said.In another accident late on Thursday, three men riding a motorcycle died on the spot after their two-wheeler collided with a truck under Kharsidag police station limits. The victims were travelling from Tupudana towards Rampur.Police said the deceased have been identified as Loknath Singh, 30, Jagdish Singh Munda, 52, and Sanjay Singh Munda, 30. All of them are natives of Ranchi district.Kharsidaag police outpost in-charge Manish Kumar said, “A witness said the bike crashed into the truck from behind. An FIR would, however, be registered on basis of complaint of the deceased’s relatives. The truck driver fled from the spot with his vehicle.”The crash took place near an intersection where flyover and underpass construction is under way. Residents said frequent diversions, mixed movement of heavy and light vehicles, and poor road conditions have made the stretch unsafe.The fatalities come soon after traffic police concluded a month-long enforcement campaign from Sept 1 to 30. According to a police statement, 95,665 challans were issued and penalties worth Rs 6.47 crore were imposed for violations of the Motor Vehicles Act during the drive. Police also forwarded 38 cases to court for prosecution.Traffic police appealed to motorists to follow road safety rules, saying enforcement alone cannot prevent accidents unless drivers avoid speeding, reckless driving and other risky behaviour.
