Valiant till the end
As the train rushed in, the rail gate of Chattogram city's Jhautola crossing still remained open. Unaware of what was about to unfold, several vehicles moved on to or very close to the rail track.
Sensing imminent danger, on-duty traffic police Monirul Hossain, around 50 years of age, rushed to the spot and tried to stop the vehicles, according to witnesses.
However, the train soon arrived and hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and bus. The force of the collision led the auto-rickshaw to fall upon Monirul, leaving him critically injured.
He was later declared dead at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), confirmed Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (traffic), north zone.
The three-way collision took place at the crossing yesterday morning, which also left two others killed. They were identified as Syed Bahauddin Ahmed (30), an engineer by profession, and HSC examinee Sadraj Uddin Shahin (18).
They were also taken to and declared dead at CMCH.
Eight others were injured in the collision, police confirmed. They are currently under treatment there.
Hearing news of the accident, Monirul's daughters Mahmuda Ferdous Shima and Bibi Fatema Sumona rushed to the hospital around 1:00pm.
His fellows from the police were seen consoling the bereaved family.
GATEMAN'S 'NEGLIGENCE' TURNS FATAL
Eyewitness police sergeant Mahmudul Hasan Juwel, who was also at the spot during the incident, told reporters, "We were controlling the traffic rush on the road at the time. Constable Monirul was on duty on the southern side of the street when he saw there was no barrier before the railway crossing on his side and tried to intervene."
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Khulshi Police Station Shahinuzzaman told The Daily Star, "After being hit by the train, the auto-rickshaw crushed Monirul, leaving him critically injured. He was rescued along with the other injured by police and rushed to CMCH."
Shaila Begum, who saw the accident from only a few yards away, put the blame on gateman Ashraful Alamgair Bhuiyan, saying, "It was a terrifying scene. The accident occurred due to the gateman's mistake."
A frequent commuter of the area, she alleged that the gateman in question usually had children of the area operate the gate for him.
Meanwhile, police are yet to arrest the gateman over negligence. "Ashraful has been on the run since the accident," said OC Nazim Uddin of Chattogram Railway Police Station.
Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (traffic), north zone, said, "On-duty traffic personnel Monirul went to close the gate after he found it open, but was killed as the auto-rickshaw flew towards him after being hit by the train."
OC Nazim Uddin said police were filing a case in connection with the accident. To investigate, police also formed a three-member committee.
"The committee will be headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Abdul Gafur. It has been asked to submit a report within three working days," said Md Hasan Chowdhury, superintendent of police of Chattogram Railway.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway has also formed their own probe committee to investigate the incident, according to sources.
'MONIRUL'S SINCERITY SHOWED EVEN IN DEATH'
Meanwhile, grief has set in over the family members of the deceased, who still can't contain the shock of the sudden demise of their loved ones.
When this correspondent reached out to the family in the aftermath of the accident, he found Monirul's elder daughter Shima wailing for her father.
"Who will love us now? Who will take care of us?" she asked.
Abu Saleh, Monirul's son-in-law, lamented the tragic passing and said, "He went to join the day's work around 8:00am. He was very sincere about his duties. We never thought this was the last we would see of him."
Police constable Sanjoy Debnath, who worked with Monirul, said "It's hard to believe that Monirul has been killed. He had an affable personality."
Police sources said Monirul joined Bangladesh Police in 1996 as a constable. He had been transferred to CMP in 2013 and later joined its Traffic Division in 2019. He left behind two daughters and a school-going son.
'SADRAJ WANTED TO BE A PILOT'
The situation was no different at Sadraj's household.
"Sadraj was a brilliant student. He wanted to become a pilot," said Md Eusuf Sikdar, Sadraj's uncle.
"Our dreams are now shattered," he told this correspondent over phone. He added that Sadraj was a BNCC cadet under-officer (air wing) and an HSC examinee at the city's Pahartali University College. He attended his last exam on Thursday.
More information on Bahauddin, the other deceased, could not be ascertained till filing of this report at 9:00pm.
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