Pranto wanted to be a BCS cadre

Pranto was playing cricket with his friends on a road in the capital's Dhanmondi.

All of a sudden, happiness turned into tragedy. An iron bar fell on the 21-year-old from an unfinished building.

Mahmud Bin Ashraf Pranto, a student of Jahangirnagar University (JU), was declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

One of his friends, Ifteder Evan, 21, a private university student, was also injured in the incident that happened near Medinova Medical Services on Friday evening, said Mehedi Hasan, another friend of Pranto.

The iron bar also hit a transformer, causing a power cut, he said.

A student of the philosophy department, Pranto resided in Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall of JU. He was visiting his relatives in Dhanmondi area, said his family.

Pranto aimed to be a BCS cadre, they said.

Prof Mostofa Nazmul Mansur Tamal, chairperson of JU's philosophy department, said, “After checking his class attendance, I found him to be highly committed and capable of achieving his goal. He was very energetic…”

“He was an asset for his family as well as our university,” he said, adding that they called an emergency meeting.

“We will form a human chain today, demanding justice for Pranto.”

The university students sought compensation for the victim's family.

After passing SSC exam, Pranto was admitted to Dhaka Residential Model College, said the family.

Pranto, from Meherpur, left behind his parents and two sisters. His father is a government employee and mother, a housewife, said his uncle Aftab Ali Khan.