SHILLONG: The residents of Rilbong lit candles on Saturday and prayed for the departed souls of former headmaster of Rilbong LP school, Anirudha Dutta (49) and businessman Rahul Dey Purkayasta (48) who died in a freak road accident in the locality a year ago.
Bibhuti Chakraborty (51), the general secretary of Rilbong Sports and Cultural Club, was injured in the accident.
The alleged drunken driving of the driver of the vehicle identified as Bikash Ghosh (49) from Rilbong was the cause of the accident.
On April 23 night, after the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle, it went down near the LP school, hitting the unsuspecting victims and stopped only after uprooting the wall of the Assam type house on the right side of the school.
Though the driver was arrested under various sections 279/337/338/427/304(A) of IPC, there was no punitive action against him as per law and it was learnt that he is back to his profession as a driver.
Police had slapped section 338 IPC for causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety, punishment for which is two years imprisonment, 427 for mischief causing damage, and 304 (A) for causing death by negligence not amounting to murder, punishment for which is two years imprisonment.Other than clubbing various sections of IPC, the law enforces failed to build up a case for the sake of the families who lost their sole bread earners and are yet to be handed justice even after a year though two precious lives were lost and another resident was seriously injured.
Besides the driver, another occupant of the vehicle identified as Uttam Brahmacharya (40) from Naspatigiri, Jhalupara was also in an inebriated condition when the accident took place.
Prayer for victims at accident prone zone
Meanwhile, in a unique gesture in West Garo Hills, a mass prayer was conducted at Dollonggre in the district, which is an accident prone zone where various vehicles met with accidents resulting in the loss of many lives and injuries to scores.
Prayers were conducted by the members of the Dollonggre Baptist Church along with the Chiokgre Baptist Church on Saturday at around 3:30pm.
Two years ago, a Shillong bound bus from Tura met with an accident at Dollonggre at night and several passengers lost their lives besides injuries to many others.
On Saturday, prayers were offered for the victims’ family and also for the accident spot, so that no more accidents take place in future.
