Two separate road accidents in Guwahati city on Tuesday night highlighted the worrying aspect of road safety in the state. One youth was killed and another seriously injured in accidents in Dispur and Bhangagar. Assam Transport Minister Charan Boro on Wednesday announced an emergency meeting to review road safety measures and take immediate safety measures. Minister Charan Baro told reporters that after today’s meeting, all necessary decisions regarding road safety will be taken and effective measures will be taken immediately.
The first accident took place in front of the Assam Assembly building in Dispur on Tuesday night around 12.30 pm. The accident took place when a speeding motorcycle lost control and hit an electric pole. The accident took place around 10:30 pm when the motorcycle caught fire and the rider Dhemajir Bakhab Raj Chutia died on the spot. Later, the fire service personnel came and extinguished the fire. An eyewitness told the media that as soon as the fire broke out, they ran and asked the police for permission to take the youth out, but the police stopped them for security reasons.
The second accident in Bhangagarh shows the irresponsibility of a drunk driver. One person was injured when a speeding car lost control and hit another car. The injured person is currently undergoing treatment at Guwahati Medical College Hospital. One of the injured, narrating the accident, said that while they were returning from Paltan Bazar, a vehicle traveling at a speed of about 120 km/h rammed their vehicle, which hit a water tanker in front of them and overturned. The victim said only the airbag saved their lives. When the accident happened around 10:30 pm, one passenger was taken to the hospital but the other escaped.
Tuesday’s two accidents are not isolated incidents, but part of a dire trend continuing across Assam. More than 1,000 people lost their lives in over 4,200 road accidents in the first three months in the state, according to official data released on April 28. According to the state transport department, 1,008 people died in 4,219 road accidents between January and March this year. During the same period in 2025, 1,035 people were killed in 4,232 accidents, a slight decrease that is by no means reassuring. According to the data, nearly 50 percent of the total accident deaths in the state occurred in nine districts including Guwahati city, Kamrup, Nagaon, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Barpeta, Dhubri and Hojai. Government officials noted that the state’s accident severity index was 0.24, lower than the national average of about 0.36 but higher than safer states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu.