Hit and run: Air Force officer mowed down by speeding Audi during Republic Day rehearsal

An Air Force officer was killed on Wednesday after being hit by a speeding car during the Republic Day rehearsal parade in Kolkata. The incident happened at about 6.30 am at Red Road when an Audi appeared on the road at high speed and hit the Air Force officer, a defence official said. [caption id=“attachment_2581948” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] The road is normally closed for civilian traffic during the rehearsal but the car raced towards Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud, the Air Force drill instructor supervising the parade, knocked him off his feet and continued to move at high speed till it hit a barricade and came to a halt, the official said. Speaking to DNA, Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha said, “We are examining the CCTV footage. It is very unprecedented how he parked his car and fled. We have begun an investigation into the case.” The Air Force personnel sustained injuries and was rushed to a military hospital where the doctors declared him dead. The official said that the driver left the car and ran away. The car has been seized by the police and an investigation is underway. With inputs from PTI