Debjit Sengupta, the tabla player accompanying singer Nachiketa for the past 12 years, died in an accident on VIP Road late on Thursday.

Better known as Joy, the 33-year-old musician was returning home to Kalindi, near Bangur Avenue, from a social engagement in Salt Lake. He was accompanied by his wife and a friend.

The car skidded on a muddy stretch at Rajarhat New Town, hardly a kilometre from the airport. It then dashed against a truck piled with mud and headed for a construction site.

Sengupta, who was at the wheel, died on the spot. His wife and friend lost consciousness and were rushed to a private hospital near Phoolbagan.

Their condition is stated to be critical.

“Joy was very close to me and I cannot believe what has happened. He was more than a friend, he was an inspiration. A tabla player may replace Joy in the group, but no one will ever take his place in my life,” Nachiketa said on Friday.

The accident once again calls attention to a section of VIP Road that has become a peril point for pedestrians and motorists alike.

With trucks constantly carrying construction material to Rajarhat, the road has been rendered dangerous by the mud.

The condition is a cause for serious concern for residents of the area, but nothing has been done to make it less hazardous a stretch.