Assam CM orders probe into crash that killed 26, vows stricter traffic rules

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the state government would tighten traffic enforcement following an accident in Golaghat district that killed 26 people on Friday.

Sarma visited the accident site on Saturday afternoon and ordered a detailed investigation. “A detailed investigation is underway, and we will look at every possible cause behind this tragedy,” he said.

He said the state government had earlier relaxed traffic rules, which, according to him, was not the right decision.

“I admit that some traffic decisions were relaxed at the Nalbari Cabinet meeting because of political pressure. Even then, I felt we should not have given in, and it will not happen again. We will bring back strict traffic rules and enforce them firmly, because people’s lives come first,” he wrote on X after the visit.

Sarma also announced that the state government would provide compensation of ₹7 lakh to the families of the deceased. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of ₹2 lakh for the family of each deceased person from the central government.

“Each bereaved family will receive ₹9 lakh in compensation. No amount of money can make up for such a loss, especially for families who have lost more than one member, but we will make sure no family faces this alone,” he wrote.

During the visit, Golaghat senior superintendent of police (SSP) Swapnaneel Deka told the chief minister that the Force Traveller’s driver was a repeat offender who had violated traffic rules and had allegedly tampered with the speed-limiting device (SLD).

Forty-one passengers were travelling in a 27-seater Force Traveller when it collided head-on with a truck near Kaziranga on Friday.

The SSP briefed the chief minister on the condition of the vehicle, saying its brakes were not in good condition and that the SLD, which was listed as installed in transport department records, had been removed.

The device was set to limit the vehicle’s speed to 80 kmph, while the speed limit on the Kaziranga stretch is 40 kmph. According to the SSP, the driver had removed the device after it was installed.

Sarma said some drivers deliberately disconnected the wires of speed-limiting devices to bypass the restrictions, even as official records continued to show that the vehicles were equipped with them.

Separately, transport department records showed that the Traveller had 12 challans totalling ₹38,500, which had been paid, while another ₹4,000 remained outstanding. On March 3, the vehicle was fined in Jorhat for travelling at 102 kmph.

Deka said the minibus had a capacity of 27 passengers but was carrying 41. He said it had started from Golaghat with eight passengers at around noon and was heading towards Nagaon.

“It started with eight persons and it kept picking more passengers. Between Bokakhat and Kohora, many students boarded the bus and the driver allowed much more than the capacity,” he said.

After the visit, Sarma told the media that special teams had been deployed to investigate the accident and that the bodies had been sent for post-mortem examinations.

“Police said that the driver’s age was 64 and believe that something had happened to him that he lost control and hit the truck. It was around 3pm, I believe that was not a time for drivers to get intoxicated. He could have suffered a stroke also, we’ll examine that,” he said, adding that the post-mortem report would shed light on the matter.

Referring to dashcam footage from the vehicle, Sarma said the road appeared relatively clear and there was no other vehicle immediately alongside the Traveller when the accident occurred.

He said a cyclist crossing the road at the time could be an important witness. Golaghat police have confirmed that the footage was genuine and had been retrieved from the vehicle’s camera system.

Sarma said the Traveller appeared to have been travelling at more than 120 kmph when he watched the footage, although its speed would have to be established through the investigation. He reiterated that the speed limit on the Kaziranga stretch was 40 kmph and said overloading, speeding and other traffic violations would invite stricter action.

The chief minister also pointed to an increase in road accident deaths in Assam over the past two to three years, saying the latest incident had reinforced the need for stricter enforcement.

He said the government would now crack down on overloading, speeding, drunk driving, helmet and seat-belt violations, and vehicles that did not meet fitness requirements.

The state government on Saturday morning released the names of 25 of the 26 deceased. One male passenger who died at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) remained unidentified. The deceased included 14 women and 12 men, including a child.

Ten of the deceased were from Golaghat district: Baby Karmakar/Munda (age not stated), Darpana Majhi (15), Jyoti Majhi (20), Purnima Gowala (30), Anurag Gowala (6–8), Ranjita Khatuwar (26), Sushil Bhumij (27), Sujata Tanti (25), Jayanti Rabidas (24) and Lakhi Majhi (20).

The deceased from other districts included Dipanjali Rangpharphi (18), from Karbi Anglong; Damini Ghatuwal (18), Ganga Gowala (50), Foizul Islam (40), Abdul Rashid Ali (70), Subhash Das (45), Abdul Majid (55), Faruk Ahmed (28), Mina Mizar (45), Farhana Yasmin (21), Md Ali (37) and Akhim Phukan (53), all from Nagaon district; and Dipak Gurung (42), from Sonitpur district.

Md Rafiq Ali (38), from Madhubani in Bihar, was also among the deceased. One male passenger who died at JMCH was yet to be identified.

The accident also claimed the life of Farhana Yasmin, a seventh-semester student of Government Model College, Kaziranga. Students and college authorities paid their last respects to her on the campus on Saturday.

Her classmates appealed to the state government to strengthen road monitoring and vigilance, particularly to prevent speeding and overloading.

Sarma condoled the families of the deceased and said he would personally visit their homes. He added that the compensation would be handed over soon.