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Assam: Two minor students killed in hit-and-run by speeding tanker in Cachar
An oil tanker allegedly rammed into the scooter they were travelling on along the Silchar–Imphal National Highway in the Lalpani area
Silchar: Two minor students were killed in a hit-and-run accident on Thursday afternoon in Assam’s Cachar district.
An oil tanker allegedly rammed into the scooter they were travelling on along the Silchar–Imphal National Highway in the Lalpani area.
The deceased are Santamba Chaudhary (12) and Samad Uddin Choudhary (7). They were returning from school with Santamba’s mother, Sultana Begum (32). Sultana also sustained severe injuries and she is undergoing treatment at SMCH. Samad Uddin was son of Sultana’s younger sister.
Locals said that Sultana was taking the children back home from school on a scooter when she was struck from behind by a speeding tanker.
“The impact flung the children off the vehicle, leaving them fatally injured. The tanker driver fled the scene immediately,” a local resident said.
The accident triggered widespread anger. Locals blocked the national highway, demanding the immediate arrest of the driver and stricter regulation of speeding heavy vehicles on the route.
Some protesters allegedly vandalised passing vehicles in the aftermath of the incident.
A team of senior police officers and district administration officials arrived later and assured the locals that the accused would be arrested and necessary action taken.
Following the assurance, the protesters allowed the bodies to be taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH). The bodies were sent for postmortem, and a case was registered, Cachar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Partha Pratim Das said.
On November 25, five students were injured in Sribhumi’s Suprakandi area after a tipper truck hit them from behind; one later died in hospital.
Earlier, on November 13, a college student returning home on her father’s scooter was run over and killed by a tanker in Masimpur, Borkhola — an incident that had also sparked widespread outrage.
Residents said the administration has failed to implement speed restrictions or deploy adequate traffic personnel on stretches of the highway that witness heavy movement of schoolchildren during the day.
