A minor boy died and his father was critically injured on Monday morning, after a speeding truck hit them while crossing a road in Behala Chowrasta area here, triggering massive protests by locals who torched several vehicles, officials said.
RAF personnel in large numbers were deployed, and police baton-charged protesters and fired teargas shells to bring the situation under control, they said. The father of the deceased boy, Souranil Sarkar, is undergoing treatment at state-run SSKM Hospital.
The accident took place around 6.30 am.
The protests led to disruption of traffic on the busy Diamond Harbour Road, a police officer said.
The truck driver has also been apprehended from Santragachi and the vehicle was impounded, he said.