A 55-year-old woman was killed after a dumper truck hit her on the Silchar-Aizawl highway, NH-306, near Rajghat in Assam’s Cachar district on Thursday morning, prompting residents to raise concerns about pedestrian safety and the vehicle’s visibility.
The crash took place at around 8 am near MA Laskar Senior Secondary School. The woman, identified as Mina Begum Barbhuiya, was walking towards Channighat when the dumper, which was entering a nearby servicing centre, allegedly knocked her down, according to local residents cited in the report.
Barbhuiya suffered critical injuries and died at the spot. She lived in Rajgobindapur in the Bhaga area. Family sources said her husband had died earlier and that she is survived by a daughter.
A team from Lailapur police station reached the location after receiving information about the crash. Police sent the body to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy. The investigation is under way, and officers have not yet established the exact cause of the collision.
Residents alleged that dark films covered the dumper’s front and side windows, restricting the driver’s visibility. They suspected that the driver may not have noticed the pedestrian because of the tinted windows. The allegation has not been established by the police, who are examining the circumstances of the crash.
The location of the accident places the incident within a roadside environment where highway traffic, vehicle access and pedestrian movement intersect. The presence of a senior secondary school nearby also makes visibility, vehicle speed and safe crossing conditions important factors for local residents, although the report does not provide details about traffic controls, road markings or speed restrictions at the site.
The incident highlights the safety risks faced by people walking along or across busy highway stretches that pass through inhabited areas. For residents of Rajghat and nearby settlements, the highway is not only a route for through traffic but also part of the everyday local movement network. The report, however, does not state whether any formal road-safety audit or enforcement action had previously been carried out at the location.
Police are continuing to investigate the crash. The autopsy and examination of the dumper are expected to form part of the investigation into how the collision occurred and whether any vehicle or road-related factors contributed to the death.
