1 dead as speeding SUV mows down vehicles in Bhubaneswar, ‘drunk’ driver arrested

A 25-year-old man was killed and three men were critically injured after a speeding SUV allegedly driven by an intoxicated person rammed at least 10 vehicles on a busy road in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday evening, police said.

The accused driver has been arrested.

The Scorpio, travelling from Kalinga Studio area towards Kalinga Vihar at 10pm, first hit a two-wheeler near Nuagaon Chhak before ramming nine vehicles while fleeing from locals who were chasing it, Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vivek M Saravana said.

The SUV eventually crashed into a road divider near the main entrance of SUM Hospital, leaving one person dead and three others critically injured, Saravana added.

Angry local residents caught the driver – identified as Daya Shankar Panigrahi – and allegedly assaulted him before handing him over to the police.

Locals claimed Panigrahi was driving under the influence of alcohol. The other three occupants of the SUV allegedly fled the scene.

The incident occurred a day after a 20-year-old law student allegedly drove his car into a group of people at a roadside eatery in Bhubaneswar on Monday morning, before returning from the opposite direction and allegedly attempting to run over the eatery's owner. Several people were injured in the incident.

The accused – Soumyaranjan Rath, son of a prominent builder – was later arrested. He was out on bail in a separate case in which he killed an air-conditioner mechanic by allegedly ramming his Mercedes-Benz into the victim's motorcycle on the city's roads three months ago.