Digboi: Two youth from Digboi were killed in a road accident on National Highway-38 near Bogapani under Digboi Police Station in Assam’s Tinsukia district on late Monday evening.
The deceased were identified as Shahid Hussain and Jyotishman Dutta. The two belonged to prominent business families and were known locally for their involvement in socio-cultural and community activities.
According to preliminary information, Hussain and Dutta were returning to Digboi from Tinsukia in a vehicle bearing registration number AS 22 B 1390 when the accident occurred near a curve on the NH-38 stretch at Bogapani.
Police said the vehicle apparently lost control before crashing into a roadside tree, killing both occupants on the spot and extensively damaging the vehicle.
Police personnel and local residents rushed to the scene soon after the accident.
Investigators suspect over-speeding may have been a contributing factor. Sources said the vehicle’s speedometer was found locked at around 120 kmph after the crash. However, officials said the exact sequence of events and the immediate cause of the accident are yet to be determined.
The bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem examination. A senior police official said the bodies would be handed over to the families after completion of legal formalities.
The accident has also renewed concerns over road safety along the Tingrai-Digboi corridor, where construction work is ongoing in several sections. Local residents alleged that safety infrastructure, including reflective signage, hazard markers and night-time warning systems, remains inadequate at multiple locations.
Residents also highlighted a stretch near the Ramnagar Namghar area, about a kilometre from the crash site, where they claimed damaged road sections and deep depressions pose risks to motorists, particularly at night.
Pradip Jaiswal, a Digboi-based tax consultant, who was injured in a road accident near the Ramnagar point about a week ago, alleged that a deep road depression caused his vehicle to lose balance. He said local residents later shifted him to a medical facility after the incident.
Police, however, said no direct link has been established between road conditions and Monday’s fatal crash. Officials reiterated that a detailed investigation is underway to ascertain the precise cause of the accident.
The incident has triggered grief across Digboi, with residents and members of the business community mourning the deaths of the two youth.