A CORRESPONDENT
DIGBOI: High tension prevailed at Tingrai Bazar under Doomdooma Police Station in Tinsukia district on Thursday evening, as angry residents placed the body of 52-year-old road accident victim Ram Dulal Gupta on National Highway 38, blocking traffic and demanding immediate legal action against the accused rider.
The protest brought vehicular movement to a standstill, with scores of locals gathering on the highway, alleging negligence and delay in justice. Gupta, a resident of Tingrai Panikhuwa, had been critically injured last Friday while returning home from Doomdooma on his bicycle. The accident reportedly occurred near the Panikhuwa Auto Stand, when a scooty carrying three persons allegedly hit him from behind, leaving him with severe internal injuries.
He was initially rushed to Makum Medical College and later referred the same evening to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh for advanced treatment. After battling for life for several days, Gupta succumbed to multiple internal injuries on Thursday, triggering public outrage.
Family members leveled serious allegations against the scooty rider, claiming he neither extended immediate medical assistance after the accident nor visited Gupta during his hospitalization. They also alleged that an FIR was lodged only after 48 hours, expressing dissatisfaction over what they termed delayed response and inaction. As news of Gupta’s death spread, tempers flared in the locality. Residents assembled at Tingrai Bazar and staged a blockade, demanding stringent punishment for the accused and swift police action.
The situation was eventually brought under control after police officials reached the spot and assured the protestors that necessary legal proceedings would be initiated under relevant provisions of law. The blockade was lifted following the assurance. Police confirmed that an investigation is underway.
Gupta, who belonged to an economically underprivileged family, is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son. His death has left the family devastated and cast a pall of gloom over the entire area.
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