SILCHAR: At least seven persons suffered critical injuries, after a vehicle in which they were returning from a picnic, overturned near Son Beel in southern Assam’s Karimganj district on Sunday evening.
As per reports, the accident took place around 7pm on Sunday after the vehicle, which was carrying 10-12 passengers and was returning to Hailakandi from Son Beel from a picnic spot, lost control and turned turtle near Son Beel, about 46km from Hailakandi town. Seven men (passengers) were critically injured and they were identified as Amal Gupta, Prabir Bith, Kalachand Bose, Achinta Ghosh, Niraj Debnath, Rajib Sutradhar and Newton Baramoni.
They are originally from West Bengal and currently reside in Hailakandi district for employment reasons.
Receiving the information of the mishap, a team of policemen from the Son Beel Kalibari police outpost reached the spot following which ambulances were called from Ramakrishnanagar (Karimganj district).
The injured persons were taken to the Ramakrishnanagar block primary health centre from which they were sent to Hailakandi civil hospital after initial treatment.
In another incident, a vehicle carrying picnickers to Sindura tea garden near Kalain in Cachar district veered off the road and met with an accident near the tea garden, about 37km from Silchar, on Sunday afternoon.
No one was seriously injured in the mishap, however, a huge number of vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the road for a long period. Police visited the spot after getting the information following which the vehicle, which almost overturned, was placed on the road properly and the route was cleared.
Onlookers said the vehicle’s driver was driving carelessly and this resulted in the mishap. The passengers were also dancing heedlessly, they said.
A section of residents of Kalain and its nearby areas alleged that most of the vehicles going to Sindura tea garden, which is a very popular picnic spot and attracts hordes of picnickers every year, are not following the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Assam police recently for the regulation of picnic parties in the wake of an accident in Golaghat district’s Balijan, Dergaon in which 12 persons were killed and several others injured.
Most of the vehicles traveling to Sindura tea garden and other picnic spots in Katigorah and Kalain areas drive recklessly and play “extremely loud” music flouting the Assam police’s recent SOP.
They said most of the vehicles going for picnic in Katigorah and Kalain areas can be seen overcrowded with people and many picnickers sit on top (roof) of the vehicle and even dance without caring about the possible consequences. Picnickers can be seen guzzling up liquor and indulging in “careless” revelry without any fear, locals alleged.
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They demanded that police should regularly patrol that leads to popular picnic spots across the Katigorah assembly constituency and take strict action against those found violating the Assam police’s SOP.
Also Read | Top 10 picnic spots in Assam to visit this New Year