Grief and outrage have gripped the family of eight-year-old Shahriar Sayon, who was crushed to death by a school bus at the Jolshiri branch of Adamjee Cantonment Public School and College in Rupganj, Narayanganj.
The fatal accident occurred between 3:30pm and 3:45pm within the school premises located in the Jolshiri housing project.
Sayon, a Section C pupil set to celebrate his ninth birthday on 12 November, was buried by his family on Wednesday morning.
The incident has triggered public indignation over allegations of gross negligence against the driver and school management, alongside claims that officials coerced the bereaved father into signing an undertaking waiving legal prosecution before releasing his son’s body.
According to reports and a document shared on social media by investigative journalist Zulkarnain Saer, school authorities pressured the child’s father, Saju Ahmed Selim, to sign a non-objection certificate (NOC) committing not to pursue legal or criminal proceedings.
The undertaking, bearing Saju Ahmed’s signature and dated 13 October, 2026, stated that his son died in a campus accident and pledged that he would not seek legal remedies, file criminal lawsuits, or hold anyone personally responsible.
It noted that he was taking the body home for burial without attributing personal liability.
Recounting the day’s events, Saju Ahmed Selim, a private company employee living in Bottola, Khilkhet, Dhaka, stated that classes usually ended at 3pm, with buses departing between 3:15pm and 3:20pm.
Selim was working at his Dhanmondi office when the school phoned him at 3:40pm, initially claiming his son was slightly injured and needed collecting.
Rushing to the campus on his motorcycle within 40 minutes, Selim found his son lying dead beneath the bus, covered in blood, wearing his school uniform with his identity card around his neck.
“My whole world collapsed,” Selim recalled.
Allegations indicate that before Selim could view his son, he was escorted to the office of Principal Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Muhammad Ferdous Hasan Tito, where an attempt was made to reach a financial settlement.
When that failed, conditions were reportedly imposed that the body would not be released and would undergo a post-mortem examination unless Selim signed the non-objection document.
Present school officials confirmed that multiple communications occurred between Principal Tito and School Chairman Brigadier General Ariful Islam Khan during these deliberations.
A review of campus CCTV footage alongside the principal exposed critical safety lapses.
The video showed a bus assigned to another route turning left inside the campus without a conductor or assistant on board.
Sayon, who may have been playing, came under its front-left wheel.
Questioning how an institution operating around 20 buses for thousands of pupils could permit unassisted vehicle movement through grounds filled with children, Selim accused both the driver and school authorities of severe negligence.
“How could the driver operate a bus inside a campus full of children without anyone guiding him?” Selim asked.
Police and armed forces personnel attended the scene.
Rupganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) A.H.M. Salahuddin confirmed that police inspected the site and handed over the body at approximately 7:30pm on Tuesday after Selim declined a post-mortem examination.
OC Salahuddin noted no formal complaint was lodged.
Explaining his decision against legal action, Selim cited emotional distress, litigation complications, work commitments, and lack of confidence in the legal system.
“I did not want my son’s body cut open,” Selim said, adding that he submitted a written statement demanding an internal inquiry and punishment for those responsible.
The school later returned the boy’s bag and uniform.
The child’s body was taken to his ancestral village of Ramchandrapur in Pabna’s Atgharia upazila, arriving around 4am on Wednesday.
Following 9am funeral prayers, Sayon was laid to rest at the village graveyard.
His uncle, Sohel Rana, expressed deep devastation, noting the family was preparing for Sayon’s birthday on 12 November.
Sayon was the eldest child of Selim and homemaker Sharmin Khatun; the couple also has a four-year-old daughter, Shahrin.
The tragedy sparked outrage following social media posts by expatriate journalist Zulkarnain Saer, who stressed that armed forces management offers no excuse to bypass formal legal investigations or avoid strict action against negligent staff.
