Student on way to see ailing mother dies on road

He was supposed to take his ailing mother, who was on her way to Dhaka from their village, to a hospital for treatment. Now, he is going back to their village from Dhaka but as a corpse.

Mahdi Hasan Lemon, 21, a fourth-year student of Green University's Textile Engineering department, has become another victim of a road crash.

He was killed after a lorry hit his motorcycle from behind on the Airport Road in Kawla area around 12:30 am and ran him over as he fell to the ground. Ironically, Lemon felt strongly about the ongoing student movement on road safety, according to his classmates.

With critical injuries, he was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where on-duty doctors declared him dead around 1:45 am, said Kaikobad, inspector (investigation) of Airport Police Station.

Police seized the 10-wheel lorry that was carrying containers for a Chattogram-based company. Its driver and helper, however, managed to flee, said the inspector, adding that Lemon's father filed a case with the police station in this connection.

The deceased's aunt Wahida Mahbuba Chowdhury told The Daily Star that Lemon lived at a house in Uttara, but on Friday, he was staying at her aunt's house in Jigatola.

"Lemon rushed to Uttara to receive his mother. But on the way, he met his tragic death," she said.

His mother Muslema Begum is a patient of brain tumour, diabetics and kidney. She had an appointment with a doctor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on December 14.

But on Friday, she fell sick suddenly and got on a bus from Joypurhat in the evening to take treatment in Dhaka.

After Lemon's death, Wahida contacted the bus conductor who dropped off Lemon's mother at a Sirajganj restaurant at midnight, saying his son was injured in an accident. Her relatives from Bogura later took her back to Joypurhat.

"Yesterday, she was told that her son is no more. She fainted on hearing the news," Wahida said.

Lemon is second among his three siblings. Lemon's father Mofazzal Hossain, a retired army sergeant, now works at a private farm at Chattogram, from where he rushed to receive the body from the DMC morgue around 2 pm yesterday.

Lemon would be buried at his village in Pachbibi of Joypurhat.

Talking to the correspondent, his friend Hafizur Rahman said Lemon was an active campaigner in the road safety movement in 2018 at his university.

"On Tuesday, we, five friends including Lemon, sat together at Dhanmondi Lake and discussed our internship. We also talked about the ongoing student protest and was supposed to decide on Monday as our classes will resume that day. But now we have to join in the protest for our friend's death," he said.

Protesting Lemon's death, a group of students of Green University blocked the road in front of the campus at Begum Rokeya Sarani around 5:00 pm and also held a human chain.

"We want justice for Limon," chanted the agitating students demanding immediate arrest of the responsible lorry driver and helper.

At the time of filing of this report, no arrests were made, Kaikobad said, adding that no CCTV footage could be found in the area.

Shaheen Mollah and Muntakim Saad

He was supposed to take his ailing mother, who was on her way to Dhaka from their village, to a hospital for treatment. Now, he is going back to their village from Dhaka but as a corpse.

Mahdi Hasan Lemon, 21, a fourth-year student of Green University's Textile Engineering department, has become another victim of a road crash.

He was killed after a lorry hit his motorcycle from behind on the Airport Road in Kawla area around 12:30 am and ran him over as he fell to the ground. Ironically, Lemon felt strongly about the ongoing student movement on road safety, according to his classmates.

With critical injuries, he was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where on-duty doctors declared him dead around 1:45 am, said Kaikobad, inspector (investigation) of Airport Police Station.

Police seized the 10-wheel lorry that was carrying containers for a Chattogram-based company. Its driver and helper, however, managed to flee, said the inspector, adding that Lemon's father filed a case with the police station in this connection.

The deceased's aunt Wahida Mahbuba Chowdhury told The Daily Star that Lemon lived at a house in Uttara, but on Friday, he was staying at her aunt's house in Jigatola.

"Lemon rushed to Uttara to receive his mother. But on the way, he met his tragic death," she said.

His mother Muslema Begum is a patient of brain tumour, diabetics and kidney. She had an appointment with a doctor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on December 14.

But on Friday, she fell sick suddenly and got on a bus from Joypurhat in the evening to take treatment in Dhaka.

After Lemon's death, Wahida contacted the bus conductor who dropped off Lemon's mother at a Sirajganj restaurant at midnight, saying his son was injured in an accident. Her relatives from Bogura later took her back to Joypurhat.

"Yesterday, she was told that her son is no more. She fainted on hearing the news," Wahida said.

Lemon is second among his three siblings. Lemon's father Mofazzal Hossain, a retired army sergeant, now works at a private farm at Chattogram, from where he rushed to receive the body from the DMC morgue around 2 pm yesterday.

Lemon would be buried at his village in Pachbibi of Joypurhat.

Talking to the correspondent, his friend Hafizur Rahman said Lemon was an active campaigner in the road safety movement in 2018 at his university.

"On Tuesday, we, five friends including Lemon, sat together at Dhanmondi Lake and discussed our internship. We also talked about the ongoing student protest and was supposed to decide on Monday as our classes will resume that day. But now we have to join in the protest for our friend's death," he said.

Protesting Lemon's death, a group of students of Green University blocked the road in front of the campus at Begum Rokeya Sarani around 5:00 pm and also held a human chain.

"We want justice for Limon," chanted the agitating students demanding immediate arrest of the responsible lorry driver and helper.

At the time of filing of this report, no arrests were made, Kaikobad said, adding that no CCTV footage could be found in the area.