Scholar’s death triggers anger over unsafe NH-17 in Assam's Boko

The death of eminent educationist and litterateur Dr. Ganeshwar Saharia has cast a pall of grief over Kamrup and Darrang districts, while simultaneously triggering public outrage over alleged negligence in the construction of National Highway 17 in Boko.

Dr. Saharia, 66, president of the Kamrup District Sahitya Sabha, founder and secretary of Boko B.Ed College, and former principal of Hekra Higher Secondary School, passed away late Saturday night at GNRC Hospital in Guwahati. He had been admitted on January 15 after suffering from high blood pressure. His last rites were performed at the Boko Saturday Market crematorium following a public homage at Boko Gandhi Maidan, where educational institutions, literary bodies and social organisations paid tribute to his life and work.

Amid the mourning, allegations have emerged linking his death to injuries he sustained in an accident on the under-construction NH-17. According to local residents and community members, Dr. Saharia slipped while riding his motorcycle on the damaged stretch of the highway barely a week before his hospitalisation, injuring his leg and waist. He was reportedly confined to bed thereafter, during which his health deteriorated. Many allege that the injuries aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to a fatal spike in blood pressure.

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Born in 1960 at Sipajhar in Darrang district, Dr. Saharia began his career as a physics teacher at Raghunath Choudhury Higher Secondary School in 1987 and later served as principal of Hekra Higher Secondary School until his retirement in 2020. Settled at Dakuwapara in Boko, he was widely respected as a mentor, academician and literary figure. He is survived by his wife and son.

Local organisations have strongly criticised the execution of the NH-17 expansion project, alleging gross negligence by contractors. South-West Kamrup Students’ Union president Manas Pratim Sharma said accidents have become routine on the unfinished highway, with cyclists and two-wheeler riders frequently slipping on loose soil and uneven surfaces. Boko Parishad member Sumit Rabha pointed to unpaved feeder roads, excessive dust and water sprinkling that has made stretches dangerously slippery.

For many residents, Dr. Saharia’s death has become a symbol of the district’s long-standing grievances over the unsafe condition of the highway. Several organisations have demanded immediate intervention by the National Highways Authority of India to ensure proper safety measures and accountable, time-bound completion of the project.

As the region mourns the loss of a distinguished scholar, the tragedy has intensified calls for accountability, with residents insisting that development must not come at the cost of human lives.