Assam woman Uber bike death: A life full of friends and dreams, cut short

During the investigation, police contacted Singh, who told them that after the accident his friend had taken the motorcycle to Faridabad, Haryana. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the crash and the involvement of the bus.

Hrishita Lahon came to Delhi with big dreams, new friendships, and the hope of building a life here. She had grown up in Guwahati, studied in Shillong and eventually arrived in the Capital, where she found Maitreyi College, a close circle of friends and the beginnings of the life she had imagined.

“She wanted to build a life here,” said Shubhankur, a close friend. “Delhi was not easy for her in the beginning. She struggled to adjust to the city and its environment but because of her friends she kept trying.”

On Monday, the 22-year-old English Literature graduate died after a road accident at the Ashram flyover. Police said Hrishita was travelling towards Noida on an Uber bike taxi around 10 am when a DTC bus allegedly hit the motorcycle from behind. She was taken to Jeewan Hospital and later shifted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital inSarita Vihar, where she died during treatment around 2 pm.

Shubhankur described her as a “friend’s friend”. If she considered someone a friend, he said, she would go to any extent for them. It was perhaps this quality that made her friendships feel more like family.

On August 28, exactly a month before her death, Hrishita and her closest friend Rishita Mech went to their friend Ayushi Nayak’s home on Rakhi. Ayushi, who lives alone, said, “They said that this way, I would not feel lonely.”

According to Ayushi, when she was struggling to adjust after moving out of their old PG, Hrishita would tell her — “If you cannot adjust, come to my place.”

The three had lived together for nearly two-and-a-half years after meeting in Delhi. When their PG shut in 2024, Ayushi moved to Karol Bagh while Hrishita and Rishita Mech moved together to Greater Kailash and later Panchsheel Park.

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The homes changed, but the friendships remained. Ayushi continued to visit three or four times a month. Even on October 2, she was supposed to meet Hrishita for dinner.

As the names Hrishita and Rishita were pronounced in a similar manner, Ayushi gave them nicknames. Hrishita became ‘Tiklu’ and Rishita ‘Bum Bum’, whom Hrishita fondly used to call ‘Rishita Baa’.

Rishita knew the little things that made Hrishita happy. When Hrishita had assignments, she packed parathas, pasta, chai or Maggi. Since Hrishita disliked vegetables, she made chicken nuggets or an omelette instead.

There was something childlike about Hrishita, said Ayushi. She loved soft toys, colouring books, Taylor Swift and web series. She rarely ate breakfast and liked her lunch a particular way – a large spoonful of rice completely covered in dal. She loved blue Lay’s and chocolate.

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Hrishita was still learning how to live away from home. The gas stove frightened her, said Ayushi. Many times, she asked a friend to teach her how to boil water and make noodles.

According to Ayushi, she loved photography, especially mountains. Having completed classes 11 and 12 in Shillong, she remained attached to its sunsets and cherry blossoms. At Maitreyi College, she was general secretary of the Photography Society. She taught Ayushi Assamese and introduced her to Assamese singers and creators, including Zubeen Garg.

Shubhankur had known Hrishita since her Shillong days. After they stopped speaking for a period, they spoke again eight to 10 days before her death. “She told me she was ready to talk to me properly again,” he said. The conversation ended with a demand: he had to do 30 push-ups before she would talk to him properly.

He still has the message he drafted for her that day but never sent. “Hrishita was one of a kind,” Shubhankur said.

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Hrishita’s cousin Himanshu Buragohain remembers her as “very simple”. “She was a lovely girl”.

At Maitreyi College, Principal Haritma Chopra said a prayer meeting will be held for Hrishita on Wednesday.

Shubhankur kept returning to the kind of life Hrishita had come to Delhi hoping to live — a life where friends grow together, travel together and remain part of one another’s stories.

Hrishita had begun that life. She had made friends, found her city, graduated from college, and started working towards what came next.

A life, only to be cut short at 22.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Sophiya Mathew is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She joined the Delhi bureau in 2024, and has specialization in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. Professional Background Core Beats: Her reporting is primarily focused on the Environment and Education. Specialization: She has gained recognition for her ground-level reporting on the Yamuna floodplains and the socio-economic challenges faced by those living on its banks. She also focuses on the disparities in Delhi's education system, ranging from elite private schools to government institutions and refugee education. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent work has been heavily centered on Delhi's severe winter pollution crisis and the government's regulatory responses: 1. The Air Pollution Crisis "A tale of two cities: Delhi govt schools choke in bad air, private classrooms set up air filters" (Dec 20, 2025): A high-impact feature contrasting the "Clean Air Bubbles" in elite schools with the reality of government school students who are exposed to an equivalent of 17 cigarettes a day due to outdoor exposure. "Delhi sees season's worst air day, second worst December AQI in nearly a decade" (Dec 15, 2025): An analytical report on the meteorological patterns trapping pollutants in the NCR. "Delhi bans non-BS VI vehicles from outside: Why curbing vehicular pollution is key" (Dec 17, 2025): Explaining the science behind targeting specific vehicle vintages to lower particulate matter. 2. Enforcement & Regulations "No fuel at pumps in Delhi without valid PUC certificate from December 18" (Dec 17, 2025): Breaking the news on the environment ministry's strict "No PUC, No Fuel" policy. 3. Education Policy "Law to regulate school fee in Delhi risks becoming procedural, say parents" (Dec 13, 2025): Investigating the loopholes in the new Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. "Monsoon Session: Private school fee regulation Bill cleared after four-hour debate" (Aug 9, 2025): Covering the legislative passage of the controversial fee hike regulation. Signature Style Sophiya is known for her observational depth. Her reporting often includes vivid details from school corridors, hospital waitlists, or the banks of the Yamuna to illustrate how policy failures affect the city's most vulnerable residents. She is a frequent expert guest on the 3 Things podcast, where she explains the complexities of Delhi’s environmental laws. X (Twitter): @SophiyaMathew1 ... Read More

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