Four killed, several injured in separate accidents in Siliguri, Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri/Siliguri: Two students, identified as Poulami Bagchi (24) of Anandapara in Jalpaiguri town and Kheyali Barman (24), were killed and four others injured after a car lost control and overturned on the Maulani Flyover in Malbazar on Thursday night. In another accident in Siliguri two youths were also killed.

In the Jalpaiguri incident, family members said Poulami used to live in Bhubaneswar, where she was pursuing her studies and doing an internship, while preparing for a job. She had recently come home on leave along with a friend from Konnagar.

According to her uncle Pradip Bagchi, Poulami had left home with friends for Lataguri and had informed the family that they would stay at a resort there for the night. “Around 10:30 pm we received the shocking news of the accident. We later came to know that one of their friends was driving the car,” he said. Kheyali Barman, originally from Jamalda Jorshimuli, had been living in a rented house in Mashkalaibari area of Jalpaiguri town with her mother and sister. Family members said she was preparing for competitive examinations. The bodies were sent for post-mortem on Friday.

In another incident two youths, identified as Bappa Singha (24 years) and Vicky Ghosh (25 years), both residents of Kalaram Jote near Ghoshpara, were killed and another seriously injured in a road accident at Ghoshpara More, in Phansidewa block, Siliguri on Friday afternoon.

According to local sources, the three friends were heading to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital on a scooter to bring back the body of another friend who had died in a road accident on Holi. While trying to overtake an e-rickshaw, their scooter was hit by a speeding oil tanker. Vicky Ghosh died on the spot, while Bappa Singha was declared dead at the hospital. Another youth, Bolai Ghosh, is undergoing treatment in critical condition.

Following the incident, angry locals blocked the Matigara–Chathat state highway for nearly 30 minutes, alleging frequent accidents due to the narrow road and traffic congestion. Police later reached the spot, controlled the situation and seized the tanker.