DOOMDOOMA, Oct 26: A day after four persons were killed in a horrific road accident on the Tinsukia-Doomdooma bypass, residents on Sunday staged a road blockade near the Samdang New Line, carrying the bodies of the victims and demanding adequate compensation for the bereaved families and the establishment of a police outpost in the accident-prone area.
More than 200 men and women from neighbouring tea estates, along with leaders of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA), held the district administration, police and transport department responsible for recurring accidents on the bypass. ATTSA Tinsukia district committee president Jagat Nayak alleged that repeated assurances by the authorities to improve road safety had remained unfulfilled.
The protesters submitted a six-point memorandum to the Tinsukia district commissioner through Doomdooma co-district assistant commissioner Kritartha Neog before withdrawing the blockade. Their demands included an immediate police outpost at Samdang, adequate compensation for the four deceased, a ban on vehicles carrying green tea leaves along the bypass, installation of streetlights and closure of illegal liquor shops along the road. They also sought the intervention of Doomdooma MLA Rupesh Gowala to ensure public safety.
The accident occurred around 5 pm on Saturday when a Mahindra Bolero Maxx carrying green tea leaves allegedly hit a motorcycle and several pedestrians while attempting to overtake another vehicle. Pintu Tanti of Samdang New Line died on the spot, while Subrata Bhakta (19) and Ganesh Praja (20) succumbed to their injuries at Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital. The fourth victim, Rajesh Kishan, an assistant in the Bolero Maxx, was also killed.
The Bolero Maxx driver, Manoranjan Moran of no. 1 Pithaguti under Kakajan in Philobari, and two assistants, Manish Tanti of no. 1 Kakajan, and Pawan Karmakar, whose permanent address was yet to be confirmed, sustained serious injuries. They were initially taken to the Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital. Manoranjan Moran and Pawan Karmakar were referred to the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh for advanced treatment.
The Bolero Maxx vehicle and the motorcycle caught fire following the collision, burning Pintu Tanti, Subrata Bhakta and Rajesh Kishan. The driver of the other vehicle escaped unhurt. Police took all the vehicles involved in the accident to Doomdooma police station.
Doomdooma co-district superintendent of police Diganta Dutta and Doomdooma police station officer-in-charge Manujjal Gogoi visited the spot and monitored the situation. Tinsukia district commissioner Sumit Sattawan and senior superintendent of police Mayank Kumar Jha also visited the site. Jha said a high-level inquiry would be conducted to ascertain how the vehicles caught fire following the collision