An unidentified car, barrelling from Neendad Mod towards Loha Mandi, struck them at high speed and knocked them down. The victims were later identified as Birdi Chandra Sharma (40) and Rahul Meena (19). According to police, the car hit them with such force that both suffered critical injuries. While fleeing, the vehicle rammed into another car approaching from the opposite direction. The driver abandoned the damaged car at the spot and escaped. Police said they reached the scene on receiving information and shifted the injured, who were found in a critical condition, to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead during treatment. Post-mortem examinations were conducted Sunday afternoon at the Kanwatiya Hospital mortuary, following which the bodies were handed over to the families. Police launched a search for the car driver who fled. Police said that Sharma owned the sweet shop, while Meena was a student. The incident triggered protests by local residents Sunday with crowds demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. Residents alleged that the Harmada area witnessed a spate of similar accidents over the past several months.
