Four killed in Nadia road accident while returning from cremation
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Four young men from Ranaghat in West Bengal's Nadia district were killed on Thursday, 30 July when the motorcycle carrying all four of them lost control and slammed into the wall of an old roadside structure, causing it to collapse on them. The incident occurred in the Saheb Danga area under Ranaghat Police Station jurisdiction, officials confirmed.
What Happened
According to police, the four men — Soumen Haldar, Pratap Pramanik, Ajit Biswas, and Sabuj Biswas — were residents of the Musunda area in Ranaghat and were returning home on a single motorcycle after attending a cremation ceremony at the Balagarh cremation ghat on the banks of the Bhagirathi River. An elderly woman from their locality had passed away on Wednesday, and the four had travelled to perform her last rites.
While on their way back on Thursday morning, the rider lost control of the motorcycle, which crashed into the wall of an old house by the roadside. The wall collapsed on impact, crushing all four men. Two died at the scene; the remaining two were pulled out in critical condition and rushed to Ranaghat Sub-divisional Hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival.
Police Response and Investigation
Officers from Ranaghat Police Station reached the site promptly after being alerted, recovered the bodies, and sent them for postmortem examinations. Police are investigating the precise cause of the loss of control of the motorcycle. Questions have been raised locally over why four individuals were riding a single motorcycle — a violation of traffic rules that, according to observers, directly contributed to the fatality count.
Political Response
Following the tragedy, District Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Aparna Nandi and other local BJP leaders visited Ranaghat Sub-divisional Hospital to console the bereaved families. They offered their condolences and assured the families of all possible assistance in the aftermath of the accident.
Community in Grief
A pall of gloom has descended over the Musunda and Saheb Danga areas following the deaths. This incident adds to a growing pattern of fatal road accidents in rural West Bengal involving overcrowded two-wheelers — a persistent enforcement challenge for district police. Authorities are expected to file a detailed accident report once the postmortem findings are available.