Two days after two young women were killed in a hit-and-run case, a large number of people today blocked the Faridkot-Sadiq road, accusing the police of shielding the accused, who allegedly drove rashly under the influence of drugs and killed the women.The victims, identified as Ranjana, alias Poojaa, and Sanjana, both in their early thirties and residents of Shaheed Balwinder Singh Nagar, were sisters-in-law. They were returning home on a scooter after fetching water on July 24 when a speeding car, travelling at nearly 100 km per hour, rammed into their vehicle from behind on Sadik Road. The impact was so severe that the scooter was blown to pieces and the victims were dragged for nearly 200 metres. Both women died on the spot due to fatal head injuries. The driver fled the scene immediately after the collision.Angered over the delay in the arrest, the victims’ families, joined by local residents and trade bodies, blocked the road today, alleging that police were deliberately protecting the accused despite having identified him. “It has been three days since the incident, but the police have neither arrested the accused nor brought any of his family members in for questioning. Instead, police officials are pressuring us to clear the road,” said Manoj Kumar, the husband and brother-in-law of the deceased.The families further alleged that objectionable items linked to drug use were recovered from the abandoned car, claiming the accused was driving recklessly under the influence of narcotics at the time of the crash.Protesters declared that the bodies of the deceased would not be cremated until the accused was arrested, and warned that if police failed to make an arrest by tomorrow, they would escalate the agitation by blocking the national highway.The protest drew widespread support, with Chandan Kumar, president of the Retail Karyana Association, extending solidarity to the grieving families, while representatives of various farmer unions also joined the sit-in.Responding to the protest, DSP Tarlochan Singh said the vehicle involved in the accident had been impounded and a case registered. He said the accused and his family had gone absconding, delaying the arrest. “The driver was identified, but he and his family are currently absconding. We assure the family that the culprit will be apprehended very soon. We appeal to the family and protesters to clear the road so the public is not inconvenienced, while police continue their investigation,” he said.