Himanta urges Conrad for ‘fair’ probe into Assam woman’s death

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday requested his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma to conduct a “fair and impartial inquiry” by a senior police officer into the death of a 25-year-old woman in a road accident in the hill state earlier this week.
He said that the bereaved family of the Golaghat native has raised concerns regarding the accident and urged Sangma to ensure that all facts surrounding it are brought to light.
The victim, Namrata Bora, who worked in Guwahati, had purportedly gone on a drive towards Shillong with her friends in the early hours on Wednesday, but they decided to return midway. Their car met with an accident in Shangbangla area of Ri Bhoi district when it was hit by another vehicle while trying to overtake a stationary truck.
Namrata succumbed to her injuries at Nongpoh Civil Hospital, where she was taken, while the other four passengers escaped with minor injuries.
“I request Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri @SangmaConrad, to kindly look into a tragic incident that occurred near Nongpoh police station in the early hours of Wednesday, June 4,” Sarma said in a post on X.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Saturday said instructions have been given for a fair and impartial inquiry into the incident. Replying to Himanta’s post on X, the Meghalaya CM also said on X, “@himantabiswa I have given instructions to ensure the same.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Nalbari later, Sarma said that he had also spoken to Sangma in the morning with request for handing over the inquiry to a senior officer and his Meghalaya counterpart has responded positively.
The survivors of the accident had initially stated before Ri Bhoi Police that there were six people in the car, including Namrata, and a driver. However, they later retracted the statement and said that there were five persons in the car with one of them, who is the son of an Assam AIUDF MLA, driving it. They claimed to have made the false initial statement out of fear.
A video had also emerged on social media, purportedly taken inside the car, which accounted for five persons inside it, with the MLA’s son at the wheel.