Katihar road accident: 10 hurt, 5 critical after SUV hits auto on NH-31
Synopsis
A head-on crash between a speeding Scorpio SUV and an auto-rickshaw on NH-31 near Jurabganj, Katihar, left 10 injured — five critically — on 25 June. The youngest victim is just 7 years old. Locals say the stretch is a known black spot, and the accident has reignited demands for urgent safety intervention on the highway.
Key Takeaways
A Scorpio SUV collided head-on with an auto-rickshaw on NH-31 near Jurabganj , Katihar , on 25 June .
All 10 occupants of the auto-rickshaw were injured; 5 remain in critical condition .
Victims include a 7-year-old child and a 55-year-old ; all were referred to hospitals in Purnea for specialised treatment.
Police have seized both vehicles ; preliminary findings point to excessive speed and negligent driving.
Residents say the Jurabganj stretch of NH-31 is a recurring accident black spot and are demanding safety upgrades.
A head-on collision between a speeding Scorpio SUV and an overloaded auto-rickshaw on National Highway-31 near Jurabganj in Katihar district, Bihar, left 10 people injured on Thursday, 25 June, with five of them in critical condition. The crash occurred within the jurisdiction of Kodha police station and triggered panic among local residents who rushed to the site to help rescue passengers trapped in the mangled vehicle.
What Happened at Jurabganj
The Scorpio SUV struck the auto-rickshaw head-on, leaving it severely damaged and injuring all ten occupants travelling inside. Eyewitnesses described the impact as extremely severe. Locals reached the spot almost immediately after hearing the crash and assisted in pulling out the injured before emergency services arrived.
All ten victims were first taken to Kodha Community Health Centre (CHC) for initial treatment. Doctors subsequently referred all of them to hospitals in Purnea for specialised care.
Who Was Injured
The injured have been identified as Chhoti Kumari (22), Aarti Kumari (30), Ashutosh Sinha (55), Richa Priya (7), Parvati Devi (32), Kajal Kumari (21), Md. Chand (38), Ajay Kumar, Sintu Kumar Mahto (16), and Pintu Kumar Mahto (17). The youngest victim, Richa Priya, is only 7 years old.
Girish Chandra, Medical Officer at Kodha CHC, confirmed that all ten received first aid at the centre, while five remain in a critical state. Medical teams in Purnea are currently monitoring the critically injured patients.
Police Response and Investigation
Teams from Kodha police station reached the accident site promptly and oversaw rescue operations and traffic management. A crane was deployed to clear the damaged vehicles from the highway, restoring traffic flow. Police have since seized both the Scorpio SUV and the auto-rickshaw.
Preliminary investigations suggest that excessive speed and negligent driving may have contributed to the collision, though the exact cause is still under investigation. Relatives of the victims have gathered at hospitals in Purnea, with scenes of distress reported across several villages.
Residents Demand Action on NH-31 Black Spot
The accident has renewed anger among local residents, who describe the Jurabganj stretch of NH-31 as a chronic accident-prone zone. Villagers claim that several serious crashes have occurred in the area in recent years. Residents are demanding strict speed-limit enforcement, regular traffic checks, installation of warning signs at hazardous locations, identification and remediation of road black spots, and broader safety upgrades along the highway corridor.
Authorities say they continue to monitor the condition of the critically injured while the police probe into the accident remains ongoing.
Point of View
Yet warning infrastructure and speed enforcement remain absent. Bihar's highway fatality record is among the worst in the country, and the pattern here — an overloaded auto-rickshaw versus a speeding SUV on an unmarked danger zone — repeats with grim regularity. The question is not whether the state knew about this stretch, but why corrective action was not taken before another set of families ended up at a Purnea hospital ward.
NationPress
25 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Katihar road accident on NH-31?
A speeding Scorpio SUV collided head-on with an auto-rickshaw near Jurabganj on National Highway-31 in Katihar, Bihar, on 25 June, injuring all 10 occupants of the auto-rickshaw. Five of the injured are in critical condition and have been transferred to hospitals in Purnea for specialised treatment.
Who are the victims of the Katihar NH-31 accident?
The ten injured have been identified as Chhoti Kumari (22), Aarti Kumari (30), Ashutosh Sinha (55), Richa Priya (7), Parvati Devi (32), Kajal Kumari (21), Md. Chand (38), Ajay Kumar, Sintu Kumar Mahto (16), and Pintu Kumar Mahto (17). The youngest victim is a 7-year-old girl.
What is the current condition of the injured?
All ten received first aid at Kodha Community Health Centre. Five remain in critical condition and all ten have been referred to hospitals in Purnea, where medical teams are actively monitoring them, according to Medical Officer Girish Chandra.
What action has the police taken after the Katihar accident?
Police from Kodha police station reached the site, conducted rescue operations, and deployed a crane to clear the vehicles and restore traffic on NH-31. Both the Scorpio SUV and the auto-rickshaw have been seized. Preliminary investigations suggest excessive speed and negligent driving were likely factors.
Why do residents call the Jurabganj stretch of NH-31 dangerous?
Local residents say the Jurabganj stretch has seen several serious accidents over recent years, making it a known black spot. They are demanding speed-limit enforcement, traffic checks, warning signage, black-spot remediation, and broader road safety measures on this corridor.
