The festive mood ahead of the New Year was shattered in Ponda by two separate accidental deaths on Sunday, plunging the town into grief. In the first case, a tense situation prevailed in Varkhandem, Ponda, late evening following the death of a 32-year-old scooter rider, Swati Ank ush Rathod, a resident of Naga Masjid, originally from Bid District, Maha rashtra. She was killed when her scooter was rammed by a truck. Rathod was rushed tothe Ponda Sub-District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival. Her son, who was the pillion rider, sustained serious injuries and has been shifted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim. The accident sparked outrage among locals, leading to violence. An angry mob damaged the truck involved in the accident, then marched to a nearby con struction site.
There, they set fire to a JCB machine and workers’ rooms to protest the incident and alleged negligence by the con tractor involved in mud transportation. Locals claimed the police arrived an hour late, an alle gation the police later refuted. Efforts to contact the Pon daDySP and PI for comment were unsuccessful. Locals kept the truck halted at the site into the evening, demanding a thorough investigation and inspection of the truck’s docu ments, including insurance. The locals stated that the accident occurred at the Varkhandem Junction and was caused by a truck transport ing excavated mud from a mega project site on the banks of the Ponda main nullah. Residents have also expressed con cerns over the construction of this mega residential project on the nullah bank. Meanwhile, SP South Goa Tikam Singh said, “Situation is under control. We will be registering an offence and will take action. Whatever law is required will be done. I will conduct an inquiry as to why police reached one-and-half hours after the fatal accident. The child who sustained injuries is under observation. The driver has been apprehended and he will be arrested after registering a case. Will review the deployment of po lice at junctions and will deploy staff as per the needs. Will take action if any lapse is found.” In a separate, equally tragic incident, a four-year-old boy, MunnakumarJitendra Magic, a native of Patna, Bihar, died after accidentally falling into a well and drowning in it at Durgabhat, Ponda. Police suspect the incident occurred around 12:30 pm but came to light two hours later, around 2:30 pm. The boy’s parents began searching for him after he went missing. The body was discovered floating in the well by a neighbour who was fetching water. The boy’s mother is reported to be working as a sweeper at the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC). Relatives gathered at the Ponda Sub-District Hospital, mourning the tragic loss. The well is believed to be approximately nine feet deep. The incident is the second child fatality to shock Durgab hat this year, following the death of a 19-month-old toddler in a stray dog attack on April 18.
