Tareque Masud, Mishuk Munier recalled in Manikganj
Demand for road safety reiterated as 7th anniv of the two celebreties' tragic death in road accident observed
People of Manikganj yesterday formed a human chain in front of the Tareque Masud-Mishuk Munier memorial monument beside Dhaka-Aricha highway at Joka village under Ghior upazila, demanding safe roads.
Manikganj Press Club, Tareque Masud-Mishuk Munier Smrity Sangsad, Prothom Alo Bandhusava and Nazrul-Promila Smrity Parishad organised the hour-long human chain in memory of Tareque Masud and Mishuk Munier.
Manikganj Press Club President Golam Sarwar Sanu, its General Secretary Biplob Chakraborty, former general secretary Jahangir Alam Biswas, CPB Central Member advocate Azharul Islam Arzu, Manikganj district unit of Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee Convener advocate Dipak Kumar Ghosh, Tareque Masud-Mishuk Munier Trust Member Iqbal Hossain Kochi, theatre activist Gini Alam, Tareque Masud-Mishuk Munier Smrity Sangsad General Secretary Ripon Ansari, former footballer Hafizur Rahman Firo and Parvez Babul of Nazrul-Promila Smrity Parishad addressed the human chain.
They said the main demand of the people of the country today is safe roads, a demand that was recently raised by school and college students. The Dhaka-Aricha Highway is known as a death trap. The important highway needs to have four lanes to make it safe. The government will have to be very strict so that inefficient and non-licenced drivers do not drive vehicles. They also demanded payment of compensation to the families of Tareque Masud and Mishuk Munier.
They later paid tribute to the memory of Tareque Masud and Mishuk Munier on behalf of their respective organisations. They also planted trees at Joka Government Primary School premises and at the site of the accident.
Noted filmmaker Tareque Masud, media personality Ashfaque Munier Mishuk, popularly known as Mishuk Munier, and their film production crew -- Wasim, Jamal and microbus driver Mostafizur Rahman -- died in a fatal road crash on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway at Joka under Ghior upazila on August 13 in 2011.
Tareque's wife Catherine Masud, painter Dhali Al Mamun, his wife Dilara Zaman Jolly and film production staff Saidul Islam were injured in the accident.
The team was on its way to meet the Manikganj deputy commissioner for permission to shoot for Tareque's film project “Kagojer Phool” after visiting the shooting spot at Saljana village in Shibalaya upazila.
A Chuadanga-bound bus from Dhaka collided with their microbus travelling to Manikganj town at about 12:15pm.
Ghior Police Station Sub-inspector Md Lutfar Rahman filed a case the same day against the bus driver Md Jamir Hossain. Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested Jamir from his relative's house in Gangni upazila of Meherpur on August 15, two days after filing of the case.
Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, then Ghior Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Ashraf-Ul-Islam submitted charge sheet before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court on March 22 in 2012.
On February 22 in 2017, the then Manikganj Additional District and Session's Judge Al Mahmud Faijul Kabir pronounced the verdict in presence of Jamir.
Jamir was sentenced to imprisonment for life. The court also fined him Tk 5,000, in default, to serve two more years in prison.