Contractor & mason held over Arunachal accident

Dibrugarh: Police have arrested two persons for allegedly trafficking labourers to Arunachal Pradesh in connection with the Dec 8 tragedy that claimed 21 workers’ lives when a truck plunged into a 200-metre gorge in Anjaw district.

The arrested persons have been identified as Md Sirajul Ahmed, a contractor, and Sairuddin Ali, a head mason, both residents of Balupara village in the Guijan area of Tinsukia district. Police have registered serious charges against them under multiple sections of the BNS.

Tinsukia SSP Mayank Kumar on Sunday confirmed the arrests, saying the accused have been booked under BNS sections 143(3) for trafficking of persons, 105 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, 125B for acts endangering life or personal safety of others, and 61(2) for criminal conspiracy.




The charges stem from the devastating accident in which 22 workers — 18 from Gelapukhuri Tea Estate and three from Dhelaghat Tea Estate — were being transported to a construction site when their truck skidded off the treacherous Hayuliang-Chaglagam Road. By Sunday morning, 20 bodies were recovered from the gorge, with six already buried at Gelapukhuri on Saturday.

SSP Kumar said mandatory protocols had been ignored in transporting the workers. “During the investigation, it was found that the labourers were transported illegally without proper documentation or safety measures. Accordingly, a case was registered at Tinsukia Sadar police station, and an investigation was launched,” he said.

An SIT has been formed to probe the entire network involved in the illegal operation.

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