108 ambulance driver surrenders after Guwahati crash kills 22-yr-old woman

Guwahati, Jan 24: The driver of the 108 emergency ambulance involved in the fatal Kahilipara road accident surrendered before police on Saturday, a day after a 22-year-old woman was killed after the vehicle rammed into the two-wheeler she was travelling on in Guwahati.

Police said the ambulance driver, identified as Rekibuddin Ahmed, surrendered at Rangia Police Station.

Ahmed, a resident of Changsari, had fled the scene immediately after the accident, triggering a police search and seizure of the ambulance by Dispur Police.

Reacting to the development, the victim’s family expressed anguish over the delay in the driver’s appearance before authorities.

“When the police contacted Rekibuddin, he said he is not absconding and that he would reach the police station by morning. It is shameful that a criminal tells the police when he will surrender,” said the brother of the deceased, Luna Bhardwaj.

According to information available, Rekibuddin had been recruited as a 108 ambulance driver around one-and-a-half months ago.

The deceased, Luna Bhardwaj, a resident of Uttar Salmara in Bongaigaon district, was staying with her brother-in-law in Japorigog at the time of the incident.

She had stepped out for document verification as she was scheduled to join a bank as an employee on January 28. Bhardwaj was a law graduate from JB Law College, Guwahati.

The accident occurred in front of the Sarba Sikshya Abhiyan Mission office in Kahilipara, when the ambulance rammed into the two-wheeler on which Bhardwaj was travelling. She died on the spot.

Another person, Achyut Baruah (24) of Dergaon, sustained grievous injuries in the incident and is currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

Addressing the press, GMCH Superintendent Dr Debajit Choudhury said both victims were brought to the hospital’s emergency department at around 6.11 pm.

“Luna Bhardwaj was declared brought dead, while Achyut Baruah had sustained serious injuries to his back and legs. He was immediately shifted to the ICU and is currently in a stable condition. Further treatment is underway,” he said.

Dr Choudhury added that the post-mortem examination of Bhardwaj is being conducted on Saturday. Family members and friends of the deceased gathered at GMCH as the procedure is underway.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with the All Assam 108 Mrityunjoy Karmachari Sanstha expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life.

The organisation’s Joint Secretary, Ganesh Gogoi, alleged that the tragedy was the result of deploying inexperienced and untrained ambulance drivers.

“Due to the use of untrained drivers in 108 ambulances, a young woman had to lose her life today,” Gogoi said.

Police said investigations are ongoing to establish the sequence of events and fix responsibility in the case.