Meherpur accident: Schoolgoers, youth block road in Rangirkhari; Police trying to negotiate with protesters 

Protests against the Cachar District Administration has brought the new Silchar zone to a standstill. In the aftermath of last evening’s catastrophe in Silchar’s Meherpur area where a truck ran over an idol-immersion-procession, youth have launched a huge protest questioning the role of district administration. 

Right next to the circle that hosts Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s statue in NS Avenue, schoolgoers, youth sat on the road blocking the road. They raised several slogans questioning the deputy commissioner, Laya Madduri and her administration. Police officials reached the spot and as per latest available reports they were still negotiating with the protesters.

One of the individual protesting said, “After journalist Malin Sarma’s death the administration assured the general public that they would stay more aware. Just a couple of months later, we have a truck which enters during the no entry period and kills innocent people, isn’t the administration responsible for this?”

He added that they wanted to protest with the dead bodies of the two deceased, “MP Rajdeep Roy and Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar got to know that we had such plans and so they went to the deceased’s home early in the morning and are trying to get the last rites performed in a hurry. We thank honourable MP for compensating the family with money but we must not put a price tag to lives. Tomorrow this could be me or someone else, even someone from the MP or deputy speaker’s family. Monetary compensation helps the family financially to recover from the loss especially when the breadwinner dies. Here we are talking about an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old, money cannot get their daughters back to them, but if the administration does its job it can save others from dying and that is why we are protesting,” added the protester.

At a time when the administration is spending plenty in promoting ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ two young girls lost their lives and that has irked plenty. Will the administration focus on managing traffic better or will they only assure, remains to be seen.