Assam announces Rs 9 lakh compensation for families of 26 Kaziranga accident victims

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced compensation of Rs 9 lakh for the families of each of the 26 people killed in a minibus-truck collision near Kaziranga National Park.

The compensation package includes Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, Rs 2 lakh from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority and Rs 2 lakh announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sarma made the announcement after visiting the accident site on National Highway 715 at Rangajan in Kaziranga. He said state ministers would personally hand over the compensation to the bereaved families at their residences after the bodies are brought home following post-mortem examinations.

Describing the incident as heartbreaking, the chief minister said no financial assistance could make up for the loss, particularly for families who had lost more than one member.

He also said he would visit the homes of all the bereaved families over the next two to three days.

The head-on collision between a minibus and a truck on Friday claimed 26 lives, including those of several college students who were returning from their classes. Of the deceased, 14 were women and 12 were men.

The victims included three sisters from the same family — Darpana, Jyoti and Lakhimi Majhi. Assam Police personnel Sushil Bhumij, minibus driver Abdul Majid and handyman Subhas Das were also among those killed.

The deceased women were identified as Baby Karmakar, Purnima Gowala, Sujata Tanti, Farhana Yasmin, Jayanti Rabidas, Ranjita Khatowar, Dipanjali Rongpharpi, Mina Mijar, Damini Ghatowal and Golapi Begum.

The male victims included Ganga Gowala, Anurag Gowala, Faizul Islam, Faruk Ahmed, Mohammed Ali, Rafik Ali, Abdul Rashid Ali, Asim Phukan, Fajakir Alam and Dipak Gurung.

Meanwhile, 18 people injured in the accident are undergoing treatment at hospitals in the region. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, who visited the injured on behalf of the chief minister, said seven patients were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Jorhat Medical College and Hospital and remained critical.

The remaining 11 injured people, admitted to two hospitals, were stable, he said. The state government will bear the entire cost of their treatment.

Medical teams from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh have been deployed in Jorhat and Golaghat to assist with the treatment of the injured and post-mortem examinations.

The autopsies were conducted at Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat, following which ambulances transported the bodies to their respective homes for the final rites.

Sarma said a detailed investigation was underway to establish the circumstances leading to the collision. Preliminary findings suggested that the minibus driver may have lost control of the vehicle, possibly due to a cardiac arrest or a technical fault.

The chief minister has directed authorities to conduct a special post-mortem examination of the driver to examine all possible factors.

He also pointed out that although the minibus had a valid fitness certificate, the 26-seater vehicle was carrying more than 40 passengers at the time of the accident.

A forensic team from Guwahati has collected evidence from the accident site as part of the investigation.

Raising concerns over road safety, Sarma acknowledged that certain traffic restrictions across Assam had been relaxed following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after political pressure. He said he had reservations about the decision and maintained that stricter enforcement was necessary to prevent further loss of life.

"People, particularly the youth, may not like strict traffic regulations, but we will enforce them because people's lives come first," he said.

He directed the police and district administration to step up road safety awareness campaigns and enforcement measures across the state.

The accident occurred along a stretch of NH-715 where speed restrictions are already in place. The 60-km highway section has a maximum speed limit of 20 kmph at identified animal corridors, with speed-monitoring cameras installed at regular intervals.