A devastating night along the Dhaka-Khulna highway has left three people dead, including a respected Freedom Fighter, following two separate vehicular collisions in Gopalganj’s Kashiani upazila. The dual tragedies, occurring within a span of less than nine hours, have cast a pall of grief over the region while sparking widespread anxiety amongst residents regarding safety standards along the nation’s key transport arteries.
The first incident transpired at approximately 7:30 PM on Saturday, 19 September, near the Panchabati area of Kashiani upazila. According to eyewitnesses and local residents, 75-year-old Freedom Fighter Omar Mir and 50-year-old Jahid Mollah were walking along the edge of the Dhaka-Khulna highway when an unidentified speeding bus struck them from behind. The impact was severe. Jahid Mollah died instantly at the scene. Distraught bystanders rushed to assist Omar Mir, transporting him to the Muksudpur Upazila Health Complex for emergency treatment, where the attending physician declared him dead upon arrival.
Officers from the Bhanga Highway Police Station were dispatched to the site shortly after the incident was reported. Sub-Inspector Obaidul Kazi confirmed both fatalities, stating that law enforcement personnel conducted an official inquest on the bodies at the scene. Following the completion of mandatory legal formalities, police handed the remains over to the grieving relatives.
Before the community could process the initial loss, a second fatality occurred further along the same stretch of road. At roughly 4:00 AM on Sunday, 20 September, another bus rammed into a three-wheeled engine-driven vehicle, locally known as a nasimon, in the Fukra bus stand area of Kashiani upazila. The driver, 23-year-old Md Ibrahim Mollya, sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot. Ibrahim was a resident of Parameshwardi village in Boalmari upazila, situated in neighbouring Faridpur district, and the son of A. Hakim Mollya.
Upon receiving notification of the pre-dawn collision, a team from the Bhatiapara Highway Police Station arrived to secure the location and recover the body. Officer-in-Charge Md Roknuzzaman confirmed the details of the crash, explaining that the body was initially sent to a hospital morgue for an autopsy. Following a formal petition submitted by Ibrahim’s family, authorities released the body to his relatives after completing necessary procedural requirements.
The sudden loss of three lives in such quick succession has highlighted the persistent dangers faced by pedestrians and drivers of smaller, low-speed vehicles on Bangladesh’s major inter-district highways. Local residents expressed growing concern over reckless driving, unmonitored bus speeds, and the lack of safe pedestrian walkways, particularly during late-night and early-morning hours when visibility is reduced. While police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding both incidents, details regarding the identification of the hit-and-run vehicles and their drivers remain under review by highway authorities.
