Never to return home
Maleka Begum (22) and her family of four had gone to visit her uncle Kamrul Khan in Ashulia’s Dendabar area four days ago. The family was scheduled to return home yesterday, but their residence at Faridpur’s Alamdanga stands empty after a tragic road accident at Nabinagar left Maleka and her 3-year-old daughter Fatema dead.
The family had boarded two battery-run auto-rickshaws around 7am yesterday to reach Nabinagar bus counter. However, as they reached gate no-3 of the National Memorial, a bus hit their auto-rickshaw from behind and left four, including the mother and daughter, injured. They were immediately taken to the Gono Shastho Hospital, where doctors declared critically injured Fatema, Maleka, and driver Juwel Rana (40) dead.
The killer bus of Kaba Paribahan was going to Paturia from Gazipur, said Nurul Huda Bhuiyan, sub-inspector of Ashulia Police Station. Other then the three who died, Nupur (19), a relative of the family, sustained minor injuries from the collision, Nurul Huda confirmed.
What makes the accident even more tragic is that the trio didn’t immediately die after the bus had hit their vehicle. In fact, they might have even had a chance of being let off with minor injuries, received from being thrown to the ground by the force of the collision. They only suffered the critical and ultimately fatal injuries after the bus ran them over as they lay helpless on the ground, the SI added.
After the doctors declared them dead, police recovered the bodies and handed them over to the grieving family.
Maleka’s uncle Kamrul told The Daily Star yesterday evening that at first he thought it was just an accident.
However, he has since started suspecting it was a “pre-planned murder” as there had been a scuffle between him and the bus owner prior to the accident.
Kamrul alleged the killer bus first tried to hit the auto-rickshaw carrying him and only hit Maleka’s vehicle after missing its mark.
“I have informed the matter to police and demanded justice,” he added.
Abdullahel Baquee, officer-in-charge of Savar Highway Police Station, said the auto-rickshaw was plying the service lane and that there had been no evidence that suggests it was auto-rickshaw driver Juwel’s fault.
“We have already seized the bus but the driver managed to flee the scene,” said the OC. Filing of a case against the bus driver and the owner was underway, he added. Asked about Kamrul’s claim, the OC said police are looking into the matter.
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