Man dies in road accident, mob sets tipper on fire

Karwar: An angry mob burnt down a tipper in Kinnar village near Karwar on Wednesday in protest against the death of a person in a road accident in the village. The villagers were angry over the alleged reckless driving by tipper drivers who transport stones and sand from the village. Gurudas Kochrekar (54) of Kinnar village was the victim. Two complaints, one by the relative of the dead and the other by the owner of the burnt tipper, have been lodged in the Karwar Rural police station. According to the relatives of Gurudas Kochrekar, the tipper hit him when he was crossing the road. They alleged that tipper drivers always drove their vehicles speedily in residential areas and even near schools. The repeated warning by villagers had gone unheeded. They said there had been accidents in the area in the past involving tippers. They alleged that every day more than 200 tippers passed through the residential area of the village disturbing life. The roads in the village were narrow and this resulted in accidents, the villagers said. In his complaint, the owner of the damaged tipper, Narayan Kashinath Naik (45), alleged that Gurudas was under the influence of alcohol and tried to get into the tipper by stopping it. The tipper driver slowed down the vehicle as schoolchildren were crossing the road. But Grurudas allegedly tried to board the tipper and fell under the rear wheel of the vehicle. Narayan has named Vinod Manohar Kotharkar and Vidyadhar and others for setting the tipper on fire. He said that the mob attacked the driver of the tipper and set the vehicle on fire after opening the diesel tank. Members of the Tipper Owners Association gathered in front of the police station and said that anti-social elements in Kinnar village were harassing them. A fire tender was pressed into service. Karwar Rural police are investigating the case.