Woman, Toddler Killed in Giridih Road Accident; Villagers Block Road in Protest

Giridih: A tragic road accident in Jharkhand’s Giridih district claimed the lives of a woman and her two-year-old grandson on Monday, triggering public outrage and a prolonged road blockade.

The incident occurred in the Tisri police station area, where Kaushalya Devi of Gumgi village and her grandson Riyansh were crushed by a speeding tractor.

Eyewitnesses said Kaushalya Devi was returning home after taking her grandson to a doctor when the tractor—allegedly out of control—rammed into an electric pole and overturned, falling on the two victims.

Local residents rushed to the scene and managed to retrieve the bodies, but both had died on the spot. The tractor driver fled immediately after the crash.

As the news spread, angry villagers gathered and blocked the Gaonwa-Tisri main road, demanding immediate arrest of the driver and compensation for the grieving family. The protest, which lasted nearly three hours, caused severe traffic congestion in the area.

Many villagers accused local authorities of negligence, pointing out that tractors and commercial vehicles are frequently driven by unlicensed operators, leading to frequent accidents.

When police personnel from Tisri reached the site to retrieve the bodies and restore order, they were initially stopped by the protesters. The situation eased only after senior officials arrived and assured legal action and financial aid for the affected family.

The tragedy comes just a day after a similar accident in Latehar district’s Netarhat area, where two women were killed by a speeding pickup van, sparking another three-hour road blockade by local residents.

With inputs from IANS