Agartala, Oct 22 (PTI) Veteran journalist and noted writer Biman Bihari Dhar and his 27-year-old grandson Rahul Pal were killed in a head-on collision between their car and a passenger bus in Tripura’s Gomati district on Thursday, police said.
The accident occurred in the Bagma area when the duo was travelling towards the Matabari temple in Udaipur, Gomati District Superintendent of Police Arniban Das said.
Dhar, 84, died at the spot, while Pal sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Gomati District Hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment, the police officer said.
The incident has triggered grief across Tripura’s media, literary and social circles, with journalists, writers and intellectuals mourning the death of Dhar, who was a respected figure in the state’s journalistic and literary landscape.
Family sources said Pal had recently secured a job with the Indian Oil Corporation. He was accompanying his grandfather to Matabari to offer prayers and mark the achievement when the accident took place.
The deaths of two members of the same family in the collision have left their relatives and well-wishers in mourning.
Dhar had earned recognition for his contributions to journalism and literature over the years. His association with the state’s media and literary community made him a familiar figure among colleagues and readers.
Members of the media and literary fraternity expressed condolences over his death, describing the loss as a setback for Tripura’s journalistic and cultural community. Several people recalled his contributions and conveyed sympathy to the bereaved family.
News of the accident spread across the state, prompting an outpouring of grief from journalists, writers and other sections of society. The tragedy has also drawn attention to the risks associated with road travel and the consequences of serious collisions involving passenger vehicles.
Police said further details about the circumstances leading to the accident were awaited. The exact cause of the collision had not been established immediately.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the family, with the loss of the veteran journalist and his grandson in a single accident turning their journey to the temple into a tragedy.
