Veteran journalist and writer Biman Bihari Dhar (85) and his grandson Rahul Paul (32) were killed in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a private Maruti car on the Agartala–Sabroom National Highway in Tripura on Thursday. Around 17 people were also injured in the accident.
The accident occurred at Koraiyamura under the jurisdiction of Bagmara police outpost of Gomati district when a passenger bus bearing registration number TR03 1462 collided head-on with a Maruti car bearing registration number WB24 Y4865.
Dhar, who was travelling in the car, died on the spot due to the impact of the collision. His grandson Rahul Pal, who was driving the vehicle, sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Gomati District Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Around 17 other people were reportedly injured in the accident. Details regarding the condition of the injured were not immediately available.
The incident triggered concern among local residents and renewed questions about road safety on the busy national highway. The exact cause of the collision is yet to be ascertained and is expected to emerge during the police investigation.
Dhar’s death has cast a pall of gloom over Tripura’s journalistic and literary circles. His colleagues, acquaintances and well-wishers expressed grief over the demise of the veteran journalist and writer. The death of his grandson in the same accident has also left the family and relatives devastated.