Reckless traffic sergeant hits and injures bicyclist

A traffic sergeant, while driving his motorcycle on the wrong side of the road, hit and injured a bicycle rider in the capital's Gulshan area yesterday morning.

The traffic rule violation by Sergeant Pijush led to the accident at a time when Dhaka Metropolitan Police is observing a month-long traffic awareness campaign that started on September 5.

The injured cyclist Abdur Rahman, 19, received treatment at Kurmitola General Hospital and was later dropped off at his home by police.

Abu Bakar Siddique, office-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, said the accident took place around 9:30am as Rahman was heading towards Gulshan from Hatirjheel while Pijush was riding his bike against the traffic.

The bicycle was mangled on impact, he said. A police official said the cyclist passed out due to the accident but regained consciousness at hospital.

A staff member of the East Coast Centre, which is located near the spot, told The Daily Star that they heard a loud noise and saw both the policeman and the cyclist lying on the road.

“The policeman stood up immediately but the youth was groaning in pain,” he said.

Minutes later, some policemen came and took the injured away.

Pijush, who was on duty in the Gulshan area, was closed to Traffic North Division following the incident. An investigation was underway, a police official of the division told The Daily Star.

Pijush could not be reached for comment.