BETTIAH, Aug. 9 -- A 30-year-old motorcyclist died and his pillion rider was critically injured after they fell into a rain-swollen canal near an under-construction bridge in Raxaul, East Champaran district, late Thursday night, police said. The mishap has triggered outrage among locals, who blamed lapses by the local authorities and the bridge construction agency. Residents alleged that the bridge was being built without proper barricading or a diversion route for commuters. Raxaul sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Manish Kumar said the accident occurred around 1.30 am on Friday at Nahar Chowk, when the victim, identified as Danish Javed (30) of Bettiah, and his friend Aman Kumar fell into the canal while riding a motorcycle. Javed's body was handed over to his family after postmortem, while Aman was admitted to a hospital in Raxaul. An FIR has been lodged against the contractor, the SDPO said. "For several months, we have been demanding a diversion and proper barricading of the construction site, but authorities ignored the requests. It seems they were waiting for an untoward incident before acting," alleged Purnima Bharti, founder of Roti Bank, a local social group supporting the homeless, differently abled, and street children in the Nepal border areas. Locals said movement through the under-construction bridge - part of a vital stretch linking New Delhi to Kathmandu - had become hazardous since work began, with inadequate barricading in place. A police officer said, "Prima facie, it appears that the victim misjudged and fell into the pond." Raxaul sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Manish Kumar admitted to lapses. "The construction site was barricaded, but it was inadequate. We have now fortified it," he said....