Sanchita’s father Dhruba Bhattacharya and coordinator of the programme, Ritesh Agarwal, were also injured in the accident. Sanchita received injuries on her head and left eye. She was taken to the Goalpara Civil Hospital along with her father and Agarwal. Aneek escaped with minor injuries on his head and hands. He later caught a 9 am flight to Kolkata.
An officer at the Dudhnoi police station said the red Bolero in which the singers were travelling was trying to overtake a loaded truck when the two collided. The driver also sustained minor injuries and has been arrested.
“We had told them not to travel at night because of foggy conditions. But Aneek insisted on going back to Guwahati immediately after the show was over. They left Kokrajhar around 3 am,” said Mono Kumar Brahma, president of the organising committee of the musical event.
Brahma said the tickets of Sanchita and her father were rescheduled for 7.45 pm.
Aneek reached Kolkata in the afternoon and was taken to AMRI Hospital. He was discharged in the evening. After reaching Kolkata, Sanchita and her father were admitted to the Woodland Nursing Home.
Talking to The Indian Express, Aneek, a resident of Bijoygarh, said they were all asleep as the Bolero was on its way to the Guwahati airport. “Suddenly, the vehicle stopped with a jerk, followed by a loud bang,” he said.
Aneek said their vehicle was sandwiched between two speeding trucks.
While Sanchita could not be contacted, her brother Akash said: “My father fell unconscious after the incident. He received injuries on his nose and head.”
Sanchita was the winner of the popular talent hunt show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs, in 2006, while Aneek won the elders’ version in 2007.