Silchar Road Rash: Drunk Driving Injures 15 in Hit-and-Run, Sparks Vandalism

In a hit-and-run incident on Friday night in Silchar, an overspeeding Bolero SUV injured at least 15 people including several pedestrians. In this harrowing hit-and-run incident on Friday night, an overspeeding Bolero SUV, laden with alcohol, injured at least 15 people. The chaotic event unfolded at around 9:45 PM, beginning in the Sadarghat area in front of the Silchar Municipality building. After hitting several people and vehicles a group of bikers chased down the vehicle which eventually got stuck near Tennis Club Silchar, thanks to the potholes of Silchar. Later the law enforcement rushed to the spot to disperse the crowd and arrested the driver, who hails from Mizoram.

On Friday night at around 9:45, a Bolero SUV bearing registration number MZ 01P 8920 hailing from Mizoram started a reckless drunk driving spree from Sadargaht. The driver of the car, RK Hminghthanga had come to Silchar to attend a wedding, but being from a dry state, he ventured out for smuggling and consuming alcohol. This led to his violent road rash. Witnesses report that the vehicle initially struck three individuals near the Municipality building before attempting to flee the scene. In its desperate bid to escape, the Bolero continued its reckless rampage, hitting two more people at Capital Point and colliding with multiple bikes and e-rickshaws along Trunk Road. This whole episode was less of a hit-and-run, but a road rash.

The injuries mounted as the vehicle careened down PWD Road, ultimately getting stuck in a pothole near Tennis Club Point. As the Bolero wreaked havoc, enraged motorcyclists began to chase it, leading to a dramatic pursuit that ended only when the vehicle was immobilized. In the aftermath, a furious crowd vandalized the SUV, smashing windows and causing extensive damage. The crowd found alcohol bottles in multiple packing boxes inside the vehicle, which enraged them further.

Cachar Police, Traffic Branch and CRPF quickly arrived on the scene to disperse the agitated mob and took the vehicle and its driver into custody. Eyewitnesses mentioned that there was another person in the vehicle besides the driver, but he managed to escape amidst the commotion.

From the information received from the police, the Bolero driver had come to a wedding ceremony of his relatives at Borail View Regency in Park Road, Silchar along with others from Mizoram. During the wedding, the driver RK Hminghthanga left the venue to go out and drink. The source also revealed that Hminghthanga was drunk driving which led him to drive recklessly injuring over 15 people. Two of the injured have been sent to the hospital, among them is a flood-affected refugee seeking shelter at Narsingh HS School in Sadarghat, Silchar.

Authorities have detained the driver RK Hminghthanga reportedly from Aizwal in Mizoram and are currently investigating the incident. It needs to be mentioned that, Mizoram which is a dry state has a prohibition on alcohol but the smuggling of both dry and wet intoxicating substances continues regularly highlighting a loophole in the police checkposts.