HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, May 29: Expressing profound grief at the demise of seven brilliant
students of Assam Engineering College (AEC) in a tragic accident on the night of May 28, All Assam Engineer’s Association (AAEA) urged the college authority to impose some basic disciplinary measures urgently. The forum of graduate engineers also wishes an early recovery to all the injured students and others in the fatal road mishap.
It is pertinent to mention here that the AEC Hostel 7 boarders were returning to the residential college campus from western part of the city and faced the accident near the Jalukbari overbridge. The luxury car carrying ten students hit the divider first and then a goods carrier on the other side of the road. Seven of them died on the spot and three sustained serious injuries. Three persons on the other vehicle were also injured in the mishap. They all have been admitted to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. The deceased students are — Kaushik Baruah (Mangaldoi), Arindam Bhallal (Guwahati), Rajkiran Bhuyan (Majuli), Niyar Deka (Golaghat), Emon Gayan (Dibrugarh), Kaushik Mohan (Charaideo) and Upangshu Sarma (Nagaon). The injured students are – Arpan Bhuyan, Arnab Chakraborty and Mrinmoy Borah. The other injured individuals include Muzammil Haque, Yusuf Ali and Rajib Ali.
“The tragic incident should teach every one of us a lesson. First the
AEC authority must discourage students from going out or coming inside
the campus during the night hours. We remember the then AEC principal
AK Padmapati sir used to note down everyone coming inside the campus
after evening through the gates near to Hostel 7 and Hostel 3. The
authority must introduce digital gadgets to observe the movement through the gates,” said AAEA president Er Kailash Sarma, working president Er NJ Thakuria and secretary Er Inamul Hye.
The engineer’s forum also appealed to the parents of the students to remain vigilant about their sons/daughters in college campuses through various means. They should demand a guardians’ meet on the college campus every year and participate accordingly, said the forum. The forum also urged state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who visited the site of the accident and ordered an investigation into the matter, to issue strict guidelines to all college authorities regarding their hostel borders so that any unwanted future incident can be prevented.