Three young friends were killed in the early hours of Bhai Phonta on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, after the motorcycle they were riding collided head-on with a chicken-laden pickup van on the Mathabhanga-Maynaguri state highway in Cooch Behar district, West Bengal. The fatal crash cast a shadow of grief over Mathabhanga town on a day meant for festivity.

Who the victims were

The deceased have been identified as Shubhajit Sarkar, Sanjay Rabidas, and Niladri Shekhar Roy, all aged between 25 and 26 years. Shubhajit and Niladri were residents of Wards 9 and 10 of Mathabhanga, respectively, while Sanjay lived in the Dakshin Pachagar area.

What happened that night

According to their families, the three friends had set out on a single motorcycle on Tuesday night to visit Kali Puja pandals. They travelled as far as Dhupguri in the district and were on their way back home when the accident took place. The collision occurred near a petrol pump under Shikarpur Gram Panchayat in Block I of Mathabhanga, with the impact so severe that all three riders were reportedly flung several metres from the vehicle.

Rescue and medical response

Local residents who heard the crash rushed to the scene and helped shift all three youths as well as the pickup van driver to a nearby hospital. Doctors declared all three motorcycle riders dead on arrival. The van driver, who sustained injuries in the collision, is undergoing treatment, according to police.

Police investigation under way

Officers from the Cooch Behar district police reached the accident site, recovered the damaged motorcycle and the pickup van, and took both vehicles to the local police station for examination. 'The bodies have been sent for autopsy. The families of the deceased have been contacted. The investigation is underway,' a senior officer of the Cooch Behar district police said. Investigators are working to establish the exact circumstances of the collision, including whether overspeeding was a contributing factor.

Grief on a festive occasion

The deaths triggered widespread grief in the neighbourhood, particularly given that the three young men had gone out to celebrate Kali Puja together and were returning home as the festival of Bhai Phonta was beginning. This comes amid recurring concerns about road safety on state highways in rural West Bengal, especially during festive periods when night travel increases sharply. All-night outings for pandal-hopping are a cultural fixture during Kali Puja, and the Mathabhanga-Maynaguri corridor has seen prior accident fatalities. The families are yet to receive any formal state response as of the time of reporting.