Trip ends in tragedy

All of Gopalganj town yesterday grieved the loss of five district Jubo League and Chhatra League men, including four students.

They died in a road accident on Sunday night after their car collided head-on with a truck while they were on their way back from Khulna.

The dead -- General Secretary of Gopalganj BCL Mahbub Hossain Babu, 26; Deputy Secretary Walid Mahbub Utshab, 25; Assistant Secretary Saju Ahmed, 24; Jubo League President of Sadar thana Sadiqul Alam, 32;  and BCL Health Affairs Secretary of Sadar thana Aminul Islam, 24 -- were heading back to Gopalganj in Sadiqul's new car.

The accident took place in Khejur Bagan area on the by-pass road of Rupsha Bridge in Khulna around 11:30pm.

Their namaz-e-janaza was held at Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj yesterday.

Except Sadiqul, the other four were students of local college in district.

Gazi Shafikur Rahman, uncle of Utshob, one of the victims, said, “They [the victims] were fond of travelling. Since Sadiqul bought a new car, they rode to Khulna in it on Sunday. Sadiqul was at the wheel when they were on their way back from Zero Point in Khulna. But they did not return alive.”

Wadud Mia, father of Babu, another victim said, “I will never see my son. The accident took him away from us.”

Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Labonchhara Police Station, told The Daily Star that the driver of a cement-laden truck, heading towards Zero Point, lost control over and hit the car around 11:30pm yesterday, leaving the five dead on the spot.

However, a witness who reported the accident to police, said, under anonymity, that the road on which the accident took was a one way road and the car was not only being driven recklessly, but also on the wrong way.

Police recovered the bodies and first took them to Khulna Medical College Hospital and then to Gopalganj Sadar Hospital Morgue, the OC said.

The bodies, however, were buried without autopsies, sources said.

Atanu Mondal, a BCL activist, said Sadiqul bought the new car a few months ago and used to travel to different places with his friends and party activists.

“They came from Gopalganj that day to have lunch at a hotel. After a bar-b-que at Arongghata in Khulna city, they boarded the car at night and started for Gopalganj,” he added.

Jahed Mahmud Bappi, general secretary of Gopalganj Jubo League, said, “We have lost five lives. We were like a family. The void created in the Chhatra League and Jubo League due to their death can never be filled.”

The bodies were buried at old municipality graveyard, new municipality graveyard and Fokirabad graveyard after the namaz-e-janaza, sources said.

Police said the truck driver and his helper were both on the run and no one was arrested in this connection until last night.

The BCL expressed condolence in a statement last evening.

Our Khulna and Faridpur correspondents contributed for the report.