Tragic accident kills one after returning from Kolkata puja outing

What begins as a night of unbridled festivity under Kolkata's glittering Durga Puja pandals can unravel into heartbreak on the long drive home, as one Nadia family learned in the cruelest way possible today early morning. The  five souls bound by blood and tradition—had immersed themselves in the city's electric celebrations, hopping from one ornate mandap to another, soaking in the rhythms of dhak drums and the scent of incense until the wee hours. But as dawn crept over the Krishnanagar-Karimpur state highway in Tehatta's Islam pur, their joy curdled into catastrophe when their car veered off the road and smashed into a sturdy roadside tree, claiming the life of 47-year-old Sujit Kumar Biswas, the devoted patriarch at the wheel. Preliminary investigations whisper of drowsiness overtaking the driver after an all-nighter of revelry, a stark reminder that the Puja's afterglow can dim into danger on poorly lit rural stretches. The surviving four—Sutapa Ghosh Biswas, Jagriti Biswas, Shampa Sarkar, and Uttam Kumar Sarkar—all residents of Karimpur in Nadia district—now battle life-threatening injuries, their family's festive memories forever scarred by this senseless loss amid West Bengal's most cherished season.

The accident struck around 4 AM on a fog-kissed highway, the kind that winds through sleepy villages still stirring from Chaturthi rituals. Sujit, a steadfast family man known for his quiet humor and unwavering commitment to Puja traditions, had piloted the four-wheeler himself, his wife Sutapa by his side and their extended kin—daughter Jagruti, sister-in-law Shampa, and brother Uttam—chatting animatedly about the pandals' grandeur. Hours earlier, they'd marveled at Kolkata's iconic spectacles, from the artistic marvels of Kumartuli to the bustling bazaars hawking Puja sweets, before fatigue set in during the 150-kilometer trek back to Karimpur. Eyewitnesses, roused by the ear-splitting crunch of metal on bark, described the car fishtailing wildly before embedding into the tree, its front end a mangled wreck. The impact hurled passengers against the dashboard and doors, leaving a trail of shattered glass and twisted steel that locals would later navigate with hushed reverence.

Chaos erupted in the pre-dawn stillness as villagers, jolted from slumber by the thunderous collision, poured out from nearby homes in a frantic bid to help. Armed with torches and sheer grit, they pried open the crumpled doors to extract the bloodied occupants, their cries piercing the misty air. Sujit was pulled free first, but paramedics at Tehatta Sub-Divisional Hospital could only confirm the inevitable—massive head trauma and internal bleeding had claimed him en route. The others, writhing in agony with fractures, lacerations, and possible spinal damage, were stabilized just enough for transfer to Krishnanagar Sadar District Hospital's ICU, where surgeons now wage a desperate fight against the odds. For these good Samaritans, many of whom had just wrapped their own Puja preparations, the rescue doubled as a grim prelude to the festival's deeper themes of loss and renewal.Police from Tehatta station swarmed the scene within minutes, their blue lights cutting through the haze like accusatory beacons. Skid marks stretching 20 meters painted a picture of sudden, uncontrollable swerve, corroborated by the absence of brake imprints—hallmarks of a driver lost to sleep. No alcohol was detected in initial breath tests on the survivors, ruling out intoxication but amplifying the perils of exhaustion after marathon Puja outings. Officers are combing through dashcam footage from passing vehicles and interviewing the injured once stabilized, while the wrecked car sits impounded as silent testimony. This stretch of highway, notorious for its potholes and wandering livestock, has claimed lives before, fueling calls from locals for better lighting and rest stops tailored to festival traffic spikes.In the tight-knit folds of Karimpur, where Puja pandals rise like beacons of community spirit,

Sujit's death has unleashed a torrent of grief that no aarti or bhog can soothe. Neighbours recall him as the one who'd lend a hand with idol installations or ferry elders to darshans, his passing leaving a void that echoes through the village lanes. Sutapa, his wife of two decades, clings to consciousness amid whispers of shared dreams now shattered, while young Jagruti's future hangs in the balance, her schoolbooks abandoned in the car's boot. The Sarkars, Uttam and Shampa, represent the extended family's pillar, their injuries a collective wound that binds relatives in prayer vigils outside the hospital. With lakhs flocking to Kolkata's arteries each year, rural roads like Krishnanagar-Karimpur become veins pulsing with weary travelers, where a nod off can spell doom. As the goddess's arrival nears, Sujit's story implores a pause—may the lamps of Shashthi light safer paths, lest more families trade celebration for coffins. In the end, Durga's victory over Mahishasura teaches resilience, a lesson this bereaved clan must now embody, one fragile breath at a time.