Berhampur: In a saddening incident, a woman vegetable vendor reportedly died after being hit by a fish-laden vehicle at Randha Chhaka under the Golanthara police station limit of Ganjam district today.
One Malati Behera of Chikarada village used to earn her livelihood by selling vegetables in Berhampur after purchasing them from the Randha vegetable market.
Like every day, Behera was on her way to the Randha market to purchase vegetables. In the meantime, a speeding fish-laden pick-up van hit the vegetable vendor tossing her into the air before she crashed to the ground about some feet away.
The mishap, which occurred while Behera was crossing the road, was so severe that she died on the spot. Soon, a tension irrupted in the area after a huge crowd gathered at the site of the accident and staged a demonstration by blocking the road. They demanded arrest of the accused driver and compensation for the kin of the deceased woman.
Several vehicles were left stranded on both sides of the road due to the protest of the villager.
On being informed, a team of cops from the Golanthara police station led by IIC Vivekananda Swain reached the spot and managed to pacify the angry locals, who later lifted the road blockade.
Police also started an investigation into the matter after sending Behera’s body to the hospital for postmortem.
