Man killed as tiger statue falls on him

A rickshaw-van puller was killed as a statue of Bengal Tiger collapsed on him at Karwan Bazar intersection in the capital early yesterday.

The dead is Ahmad Ali, 50, of Dakkhin Balia in Chandpur.

The statue, built in 2011, remained neglected for long, alleged locals.

Bhajan Sarkar, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the statue collapsed probably due to the weakness of its foundation.

Ansar Ali Khan, chief executive officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), said a firm of one Mizan had constructed the statue on permission from the corporation, and “it was his duty to maintain it”.

He said they would form an inquiry committee and take action accordingly.

Bhajan told The Daily Star that the tiger statue collapsed and fell on Ahmad when his rickshaw-van was crossing the statue around 3:45am.

On information, they rescued Ahmad and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where on-duty doctors declared him dead.

Mohammad Iqbal, officer-in-charge of Kalabagan Police Station, said an investigation was underway, and action would be taken against those responsible.

An unnatural death case was filed with the police station, he added.

The statue was built before 2011 Cricket World Cup as part of the beautification of the city. Bangladesh was one of the hosts of the cricket event.