An eight-year-old boy was killed when the convoy of Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar mowed down the child in Gonda district of the state on Saturday.
The minister’s convoy reportedly fled the spot immediately after the accident and didn’t wait to help the child.
Angry villagers blocked roads and shouted slogans on Saturday evening against the minister, who was yet to visit the accident spot or meet the family of the deceased.
An FIR was registered of causing death by negligence and rash driving was registered. “Shiva Goswami died when he was hit by a vehicle in minister Om Prakash Rajbhar’s fleet in Colonelganj area of the city,” Additional Superintendent of Police (Gonda) Hridesh Kumar said.
Rajbhar claimed he didn’t know immediately that the accident was caused by a car in his convoy. “I didn’t go back to the spot as I was already 25 km away. Police officials advised me not to go back as people were protesting.”
Asked why he was yet to meet the victim’s family, the minister said, “I will certainly go and meet the bereaved family. It was an unfortunate incident. An FIR has been registered and police have seized the car.”
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the victim’s family and sought a report from the state’s police chief, ANI reported.
The incident comes days after the convoy of another Uttar Pradesh minister Jai Kumar Singh drove over the farmland of a farmer in Jalaun district, destroying his crops and offered a paltry compensation of Rs 4,000 in return.
