Guwahati, Jan 4 (IANS) At least six people, including four police personnel, were injured on Sunday after an escort vehicle in the convoy of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met with a road accident in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, police said.

The incident occurred near Hatiali area under the jurisdiction of Chabua police station when one of the escort vehicles in the Union Minister’s motorcade collided with a civilian vehicle.

At the time of the accident, Union Minister Sonowal was travelling to his native village Bindhakata in Chabua.

Dibrugarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gaurav Abhijit Dilip, confirmed the incident and said that all the injured persons were promptly shifted to hospital in an ambulance that was accompanying the convoy.

“Six people sustained injuries in the accident, of whom four are police personnel deployed as part of the security escort,” the SSP added.

Doctors at Assam Medical College and Hospital, where the injured were admitted, said that all of them were stable and out of danger.

Hospital authorities added that none of the injuries were life-threatening and the patients were kept under observation as a precautionary measure.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Rajya Sabha MP Rameswar Teli, who was also part of the convoy, escaped unhurt in the incident.

Officials said both the Parliamentarians continued their journey after ensuring that the injured were taken care of.

Preliminary reports suggest that the collision took place due to sudden movement of vehicles on the busy stretch of road, though a detailed inquiry is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

The damaged vehicles were later removed from the road to restore normal traffic movement.

Police officials said necessary legal procedures have been initiated and further investigation is in progress.

The incident briefly disrupted traffic in the area, but normalcy was restored soon after.

Union Minister Sonowal, who is also the former Chief Minister of Assam, frequently travels across the state for official and personal engagements, accompanied by a security convoy as per protocol.

–IANS

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