Teen rams luxury SUV into pedestrians, 1 killed, 5 injured

Raipur: A speeding luxury SUV mowed down one person while leaving five more critically injured in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara on Sunday. The vehicle, allegedly driven by a youth identified as Mehar Singh, barrelled into a crowd of pedestrians and multiple vehicles in the late-night rampage. The incident triggered massive public outrage, with hundreds of locals surrounding the home of the car's owner. Swinging into action even as locals erupted in protest, the police arrested the 19-year-old youth, who was allegedly behind the wheel of the killer vehicle.According to Bemetara SP Ramkrishna Sahu, the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on Sunday when the accused teen, the son of a local businessman, was reportedly speeding through the city streets in his father's high-end SUV. Eyewitnesses said the vehicle first rammed into a pickup truck, killing one on the spot, while also ploughing into other vehicles leaving at least five more severely injured. SP Sahu said the youth was booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. "The car was involved in a major accident, which left one person dead and several more injured," the SP told TOI.In the immediate aftermath of the incident, a large crowd gathered outside the car owner's residence, accusing the police of shielding the accused. Bemetara town called for ‘bandh' on Monday in protest against the fatal car rampage.According to sources, a mob vandalised parts of the killer vehicle and clashed with police personnel who arrived around 1 am. Officials said the teen's businessman father, Bunty Saluja, was detained for questioning before his son was arrested. As the night wore on, the situation escalated as protesters carried the body of one of the deceased to the Bemetara police station, demanding immediate arrest and severe punishment of the accused teen.The area remained tense overnight and into Monday morning, with additional police forces deployed to prevent further unrest. Authorities, meanwhile, appealed for calm, assuring the public that "no one will be spared, regardless of status or influence".