A 55-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a dumper truck on the Silchar-Aizawl Highway, or NH-306, near Rajghat in Assam’s Cachar district on Thursday morning, prompting local concerns over pedestrian safety and vehicle 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 struck her. She sustained critical injuries and died at the spot, according to the report.
Mina was a resident of Rajgobindapur in the Bhaga area. Family sources said her husband had died earlier and that she is survived by a daughter.
After receiving information about the accident, a team from Lailapur police station reached the site. Police sent the body to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy as part of the investigation into the death.
Residents told the Times of India that the dumper’s front and side windows were covered with dark films. They alleged that the restricted visibility may have prevented the driver from noticing the pedestrian as the vehicle entered the servicing centre. The allegation has not been established by police.
Police are yet to determine the exact cause of the collision. The investigation is expected to establish how the crash occurred, including the movement of the dumper, the driver’s visibility and the circumstances in which the woman was struck.
The location near a senior secondary school has also drawn attention to the risks faced by pedestrians along the highway. The reported crash occurred during the morning, when people may be walking between nearby settlements and roadsides. However, the supplied report does not establish whether any pedestrian-safety measures, traffic controls or school-zone restrictions were in place at the site.
The incident highlights the difficulty of sharing highway space between heavy commercial vehicles and pedestrians in built-up or semi-rural stretches. It also places the focus on vehicle visibility and the enforcement of rules governing modifications that can affect a driver’s view. Any action on those concerns will depend on the findings of the police investigation.
The exact sequence of events, the condition of the dumper and the responsibility for the collision remain under investigation. Police have not yet confirmed whether restricted visibility contributed to the crash. The next formal steps are the autopsy and the completion of the investigation by Lailapur police.
