Anjaw Truck Tragedy: The arrested individuals have been identified as Md Sirajul Ahmed and Sairuddin Ali
Tinsukia police in Assam have arrested two persons for allegedly trafficking labourers illegally to Arunachal Pradesh, an incident that led to the deaths of 21 workers after the truck carrying them plunged into a nearly 200-metre-deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district on December 8.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Md Sirajul Ahmed, a contractor, and Sairuddin Ali, head mason (rajmistri), both residents of Balupara village in Guijan area of Tinsukia district.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Tinsukia, Mayank Kumar stated that the accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 143(3) for trafficking of persons, Section 105 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, Section 125B for acts endangering life or personal safety of others, and Section 61(2) for criminal conspiracy.
The charges stem from the tragic accident in which 22 workers, 18 from Gelapukhuri Tea Estate and 3 from Dhelaghat Tea Estate were being transported to a construction site when the vehicle skidded off the treacherous Hayuliang–Chaglagam Road.
20 bodies had been recovered from the gorge by this morning, while 6 had already been buried at Gelapukhuri on Saturday.
One labourer survived with serious injuries, and another remains missing.
Speaking about the investigation, SSP Kumar said that mandatory safety protocols and legal procedures were ignored during transportation.
“During the investigation, it was found that the labourers were transported illegally without proper documentation or safety measures. Accordingly, a case was registered at Tinsukia Sadar Police Station, and an investigation was launched,” he said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to examine the entire network involved in the illegal operation.
“We are investigating the entire chain, and more arrests are likely in the coming days,” the SSP said.
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