Dibrugarh: Two men were killed on the spot when a speeding SUV ploughed into their stationary motorcycle on the roadside at Lajum village in Kakopathar, triggering a fierce protest by locals that brought traffic on NH-15 to a standstill for nearly six hours on Saturday.The deceased were Pranjit Das, 21, a resident of Kakopathar and the goalkeeper of Kakopathar Football Coaching Centre, and Sasanka Moran, 22, of nearby Teji village.According to witnesses, the two youths were sitting on their parked motorcycle by the side of NH-15 when the SUV coming from the Kakopathar direction, barrelled into them on Friday. Locals and bystanders rushed to their aid and transported them to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared both dead on arrival.The driver of the vehicle, who was reportedly in an inebriated condition at the time of the accident, has been taken into custody by Doomdooma Police. The vehicle has been seized as part of the ongoing investigation.News of the tragic incident spread rapidly through Kakopathar and the surrounding areas, and by early Saturday morning, outraged locals had taken to NH-15 in large numbers to launch a road blockade protest. Protesters burnt tyres on the highway and raised slogans demanding immediate justice for the victims and proper rehabilitation and financial compensation for their grieving families.“These were young boys with their whole lives ahead of them. One of them was a promising footballer. A drunk driver has robbed two families of everything. We want justice. Not just an arrest, but a conviction and proper support for the families,” said a protestor at the blockade site.The demonstration caused severe traffic disruption, with hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the highway for hours. The blockade was finally lifted after nearly six hours, following assurances from authorities that the matter would be addressed and the families would be supported.
