Rash driving claims life of schoolgirl

Mehjabin Islam

Like every other day, Tahmina Akhter got her seven-year-old daughter ready for school, which is walking distance from their home in East Jurain.

It was not long after she bade her little girl goodbye that the bad news came.

Mehjabin Islam Bhuiyan Maria, a class-two student of Jurain Ashraf Master High School, died after being hit by a battery-run rickshaw near the school yesterday morning. Faiza, another seven-year-old student, who was walking with Maria, was injured.

It is illegal to operate battery-powered rickshaws, which can achieve much higher speeds than pedal rickshaws.

Proloy Kumar Saha, officer-in-charge of Kadamtali Police Station, told The Daily Star, "The accident happened around 7:30am in front of the school. The rickshaw was at speed. Seeing a speed-breaker, the driver braked hard and suddenly, causing the rickshaw to flip over and land on the two schoolgirls who were crossing the road."

Police detained the rickshaw driver, Jony Matbar, 30, from the scene, the OC said.

After the accident, Maria and Faiza were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared Maria dead around 9:00am, said inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH Police Outpost.

Upon seeing the body of her daughter at the DMCH, a disconsolate Tahmina said, "I made her ready for school, prepared her breakfast and bag. How did she die? Please come back, daughter."

Faiza, a student of a local madrasa near the school, is being treated at the hospital. She is out of danger, hospital sources said.

Maria's father Julfikar Ali said Maria and her elder sister Naween were going to school with their grandmother from their home in Commissioner Road area.

Maria met her friend Faiza on the way and, holding hands, they were crossing the road when the rickshaw hit them, leaving them injured, he said.

After the accident, a mob seized the rickshaw and set it on fire, said locals.

Later, school students, teachers, guardians and locals staged a protest in front of the school and blocked the road for some time. They said several accidents took place in the area previously involving battery-powered rickshaws and demanded that the plying of such vehicles be stopped in the area.

"The rickshaw was going very fast. Such accidents are frequent in this area. These illegal rickshaws must be stopped here," said Shafiqul Islam, a local.

Police said they would take action to stop the illegal rickshaws in the area.