A long-awaited journey home ended in devastating tragedy on Monday night after a madrasa teacher and a mosque imam were killed in a high-speed collision on the Dhaka-Barisal highway.
The victims have been identified as 28-year-old Arifur Rahman, a teacher at a Qawmi madrasa and son of Mohammad Akbar Ali from Patuakhali’s Tushkhali region, and 38-year-old Salauddin Howlader, an imam from Mandrarchar Khushirya in Barisal’s Hijla Upazila. Both men were travelling together on a single motorcycle, heading south towards their respective hometowns for a well-deserved break from work, when the fatal collision occurred at around 11:00 pm in the Arumath area of Chumurdi Union, under Bhanga Upazila.
According to eyewitnesses and preliminary police reports, the two men had departed Dhaka earlier in the evening, navigating the night-time traffic along the busy regional artery. As they crossed through the Arumath stretch, a northbound passenger coach operated by ‘Dashmina Paribahan’ struck their motorcycle head-on. The force of the impact crushed the vehicle completely, throwing both riders onto the tarmac and inflicting catastrophic injuries.
Local residents rushed to the scene immediately following the sound of the crash. Bystanders managed to retrieve the severely injured men and arranged emergency transport to the Bhanga Upazila Health Complex. However, the effort proved futile. Dr Akhtar Hossain, the attending physician at the health complex, confirmed that both individuals had succumbed to their injuries prior to their arrival at the facility.
Officers from the Bhanga Highway Police Station arrived shortly after to secure the site and restore order along the highway. Sub-Inspector Obaidul stated that law enforcement officers have initiated formal legal proceedings concerning the seized vehicles and the bus involved in the collision. An investigation remains ongoing to determine whether excessive speeding, poor road visibility, or reckless overtaking caused the incident.
The sudden loss of the young educator and religious leader has sent shockwaves through their home communities. What was meant to be a joyous reunion with family members ended instead in immense grief, underscoring the ongoing hazards faced by two-wheeler commuters along Bangladesh’s major inter-district corridors. Highway stretches such as the Dhaka-Barisal route frequently see severe night-time accidents due to mixed-speed traffic, heavy long-distance buses, and limited physical lane dividers, raising renewed concerns over road safety standard enforcement.
