Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: A minibus and a truck collided head-on along National Highway-27 on Sunday. The wreck occurred at Tetelia, near Sonapur. Four people died at the scene. One of the victims was a woman.
Guwahati Police Additional Deputy Commissioner Safiqul Hussain confirmed the incident happened in the evening. The minibus traveled toward Guwahati while the truck moved in the opposite direction. The bus driver lost control of his vehicle. He slammed into the oncoming truck. It was a violent impact.
Seven passengers suffered injuries. First responders rushed them to Sonapur Civil Hospital. Doctors there later referred the wounded to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for advanced treatment. Authorities are investigating the collision.
Updated at 31st August 2026 at 9:48am
Officials updated the death toll to six people, with three others confirmed injured. The commercial vehicle, identified as bearing registration number AS 01 HC 0716, crossed the highway divider before slamming into the truck. Police identified two of the survivors as Dipjyoti Nath and Jiaur Rahman, though the third victim remains unidentified.
The crash triggered a three-hour standoff as local residents blocked NH-27. Protesters demanded answers from Sonapur tollgate officials, citing road conditions and alleged negligence as factors behind the frequent accidents in the area. The blockade caused major traffic jams until authorities cleared the debris and restored movement.
Updated at 31st August 2026 at 9:52pm
The death toll has climbed to seven. While officials initially reported six fatalities, one additional victim succumbed to injuries. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the site near Khetri and Nalgedra, confirming that investigators identified a burst tyre as the spark for the carnage. The driver struck a massive pothole, causing the vehicle to blow a tyre, lose control, and vault over the central divider into the oncoming truck.
Sarma pinned the blame directly on the National Highways Authority of India, pointing to contractor incompetence and failure to maintain the road surface. He stated the Chief Secretary pressed the NHAI chairman for immediate repairs and stricter oversight. The state government promised Rs 5 lakh in ex-gratia payments to the families of each deceased victim and pledged to cover all medical costs for the survivors.
Updated at 31st August 2026 at 10:19pm
Khetri police have detained two NHAI officials for questioning as public anger boils over. Local protesters have since taken the fight to the toll plaza, physically blocking operators from collecting fees and demanding immediate repairs to the crumbling pavement.
Reports identify two of the deceased as Inchan Ali from Kapatatka and Tafzul Ali from Kahikuchi. Another two victims, Golap Das and Jyotika Ronghang, also perished in the wreck. Rescue crews faced a grim task at the scene, forced to cut open the mangled minibus to pull victims from the wreckage.
The fallout from the crash is spreading. Another goods truck overturned at nearby Dhupguri early Monday, fueling claims from locals that the entire corridor is a death trap. Residents allege that upwards of 10 to 12 accidents, minor or major, plague this specific stretch every single day.
Updated at 1st September 2026 at 1:50am
Congress leader Debabrata Saikia has formally demanded that Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari suspend toll collection across all of Assam until state roads are audited and cleared as safe. Saikia labeled the current conditions an ongoing threat to motorists, arguing that charging fees for crumbling, lethal road surfaces is legally and ethically indefensible.
The backlash against the National Highways Authority of India has reached Morigaon, where members of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad torched an effigy of the agency. The youth group is demanding Rs 20 lakh in compensation for each victim, rejecting the state's current aid package as insufficient given the scale of the alleged maintenance failure.
Updated at 1st September 2026 at 9:48am
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that the Chief Secretary has been in direct talks with the NHAI chairman, who pledged immediate repairs to the damaged stretches and promised stricter oversight for future maintenance contracts. State officials have initiated a formal police case to pin down legal liability for the road hazards.
Adding to the political pressure, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi blasted the government, accusing officials of running a scheme where taxpayers fund a minister-contractor nexus that delivers nothing but hazards. Meanwhile, in Morigaon, activists from the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad torched an effigy of the NHAI, pushing for a higher compensation package of Rs 20 lakh per victim, labeling the state's current aid insufficient.
Updated at 1st September 2026 at 1:48pm
State officials confirmed the final death toll reached seven as victims succumbed to their injuries at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the Khetri site on Monday, pledging Rs 5 lakh in aid for each family and promising free treatment for the survivors.
The fallout has triggered a wider pushback against the National Highways Authority of India. Congress leader Debabrata Saikia formally petitioned Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to suspend toll collection across all of Assam, citing a lack of safety audits and widespread contractual negligence. Meanwhile, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi slammed the government for what he called a minister-contractor nexus that prioritizes fee collection over basic road maintenance.
Safety fears reached a breaking point this week as another passenger bus overturned on the same damaged stretch near Khetri. Local activists have intensified protests, effectively shutting down toll operations and demanding a full inquiry into why the corridor remains a hazard to commuters.
Updated at 1st September 2026 at 5:49pm
Tensions spiked at the Nazirakhat toll gate in Sonapur after local residents forced a shutdown of operations to protest the highway's cratered state. Despite the pushback, toll operators eventually resumed fee collection, deepening the rift between the public and the administration.
Police moved in to control the scene, detaining Rinku Deka, a leader from the Jorabat unit of the All Assam Students Union. Authorities slapped Deka with allegations of provoking protesters during the demonstration. Officers remain stationed at the plaza to prevent further clashes as the fallout from the Khetri disaster continues to paralyze the corridor.
Updated at 1st September 2026 at 9:51pm
Congress leader Debabrata Saikia has formally petitioned Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to launch an independent audit into all toll plazas across the state. He argues that charging motorists for passage on crumbling roads is legally indefensible and demands a full inquiry into the National Highways Authority of India, its contractors, and independent engineers.
The push for accountability has moved from the crash site to the toll plazas themselves. At the Nazirakhat gate in Sonapur, police detained Rinku Deka, a leader from the All Assam Students Union Jorabat unit. Authorities booked Deka for allegedly provoking demonstrators who had physically forced a shutdown of the toll operations to protest the highway's cratered condition.
Despite the detention and heavy police deployments, local anger remains high. Protesters continue to demand a complete freeze on fee collection until the government publishes a concrete action plan with fixed timelines and clear responsibility for the repairs.
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