Varanasi: A 40-year-old labourer was killed after an unidentified vehicle hit him while he was crossing the Varanasi-Prayagraj NH in Mirzapur district on Saturday night.The deceased, identified as Vipat Bind of Katka Godam village under Kachhwa police station limits, was crossing the highway with his seven-year-old son around 10pm when a speeding four-wheeler coming from Varanasi towards Prayagraj hit him. The impact was severe and Vipat died on the spot. The driver fled with the vehicle.Following the accident, family members and villagers gathered on the highway and blocked traffic for nearly two hours. Vehicles were queued up for around five kilometres on both sides. Traffic was further affected as one lane of the Prayagraj-Varanasi route had been reserved for Kanwar pilgrims, leaving the other lane for regular traffic.On receiving information, CO Sadar Jatashankar Mishra and police personnel from Chilh, Kotwali Dehat, Padri and Kachhwa police stations reached the spot with heavy force. Police pacified the protesters and cleared the traffic by around midnight. The body was sent for postmortem.SDM Sadar Mahendra Singh also reached the spot, met the bereaved family and assured them of all possible administrative assistance.Vipat worked as a labourer and was the sole earning member of his family. He is survived by his wife, a 17-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son. His death has left the family facing both grief and financial hardship.Police are searching for the unidentified vehicle and its driver.
