Railway staffer dies while saving girl
A railway staffer died while saving a girl from a train accident near Kuril in the capital yesterday.
Badal Mia, 55, was a technical assistant at the engineering department of Bangladesh Railway.
One of his co-workers Sohel Rana, a witness, told The Daily Star that the incident happened around 12:30pm when a group of railway staff was doing maintenance work of the railway tracks near the Kuril Biswa Road.
Suddenly, a woman and the girl, aged around five, appeared there, and tried to cross a track. A train was approaching fast at that time.
The two were taking more than the usual time to go to other side of the track. Sensing danger, an unknown man, who was standing nearby, pushed them from behind. At this, they fell on the ground in the middle of two railway lines.
However, the girl stood up, and probably baffled by the incident, walked in on the track again, said Sohel.
“Everyone shouted and asked the girl to go back but she just stood right in the middle of the track,” he said.
Suddenly, Badal jumped in and shoved her out of the track. But this valiant effort cost him his life as he himself was hit by the train, Sohel said, adding that he died on the spot after being run over by the train.
There is no railway crossing in that area, but many cross the tracks to go to the other side, ignoring the risks, said locals.
Badal, who was from Mymensingh, along with his family was about to shift to a quarter near the cantonment railway station in this February. He had got the quarter recently after his service at the railway for more than 18 years, said his brother Siddiqur Rahman.
Siddiqur said Badal was the only earning member of his family. He has left behind five sons and three daughters.
Yasin Faruque, officer-in-charge of Dhaka Railway Police Station, said an unnatural death case was filed over the incident. Badal's remains were sent to the Dhaka Medical College morgue for an autopsy.
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