A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: Assam Tea Tribes Welfare and Labour Minister Sanjoy Kishan on Tuesday arrived at Dikom on the directions of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take stock of the situation. The minister also visited the residence of the three women tea labourers who lost their lives in the road mishap. The minister also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the kins of the deceased workers. On Monday three female tea pluckers of Nahartoli tea estate were killed after being hit by a speeding car near the Dikom bypass. While two women died on the spot, one died at the Assam Medical College and Hospital during treatment. The deceased identified as Rita Bhakta, Sunita Bedia and Mina Bedia of Nahartoli Tea Estate were returning home from work when the incident occured.
Following the incident hundreds of agitated tea garden labourers blocked the bypass for more than seven hours. The angry mob also set ablaze a police jeep. Cops resorted to blank fire to disburse the crowd. Security forces were deployed in large numbers to bring the situation under control. The crowd finally agreed to lift the road blockade at around 10.30pm after a long discussion with Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu.
Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday arrested Mufisul Hussain, the driver of the vehicle (AS-06Z-3501) who was absconding since the incident. “We have arrested the driver who mowed down the female tea workers. The incident happened on Monday afternoon when the female workers of tea garden were walking through the road after the work. Suddenly, a speeding vehicle mowed down three of them. Two of them died on the spot. One of them was seriously taken to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries,” said Dibrugarh Additional superintendent of police(HQ) Bitul Chetia.
Chetia said, “After that the protesters blockade road for several hours disrupting traffic. We are trying to bring down the situation under control but again a situation turned tense after they burnt down a police vehicle. We have restored to blank fire to bring down the situation under control.”