“It was not an accident – it was a murder. My husband died because of the negligence of the metro rail authorities. No amount of money or job can compensate for this loss,” said Irene Akter, wife of Abul Kalam Azad, who was killed after a bearing pad fell from a metro rail pillar in Farmgate area of the capital on Sunday.
Speaking at Tejgaon police station, Irene demanded a proper investigation into the incident and exemplary punishment for those responsible for the alleged negligence.
According to Sub-Inspector Ikhtiar Hossain of Tejgaon Police Station, the victim, Abul Kalam Azad, hailed from Jalil Chakdar’s family in Ishwarkathi village of Naria Upazila under Shariatpur district. He worked for a travel agency in Uttara.
“My son is four years old, and my daughter is three. They’ve lost their father at such a young age. How will this loss ever be compensated?” Irene said in tears.
The victim’s brother-in-law, Sohag Ahmed, said Abul Kalam lived with his wife and two children in Chashara of Narayanganj. “He used to work in Malaysia earlier, but after marrying six years ago, he decided to stay in Bangladesh,” Sohag said.
Following a visit to the accident site near the Farmgate metro station on Sunday, Muhammad Fayzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, announced that the victim’s family would receive Tk 5 lakh in compensation and that one qualified family member would be offered a job at Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).
The tragic incident occurred around 12:30pm on Sunday, when a rubber-made bearing pad weighing over 100 kilograms fell from between pillars 432 and 433 of the metro rail track at Farmgate, killing Abul Kalam Azad on the spot.
