It was not just an accident

On Thursday, a Victor Classic Paribahan bus ran over and killed singer and music composer Parvez Rob, when he was trying to board another bus in the capital’s Turag area.

Then on Saturday night, when his son, Yamin Alvi, and some of his friends spotted another bus of the same company in Uttara, they tried to stop it. But the vehicle hit them, badly injuring Alvi and killing one of his friends instantly, police and family members said.

The dead is Mehedi Hasan, 19, who was a college student. Alvi, also 19, suffered serious injuries to his back. He is a first-year honours student.

Police have seized the bus and arrested its driver Rafikul Islam, said Abul Kalam, inspector (investigation) of Uttara West Police Station.

The bus tried to speed away to avoid being attacked, Kalam said, quoting the driver.

Contacted, Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua said it was not a “mere accident”.

“Even if we say that the first incident was an accident, the second one is a premeditated murder,” he added.

The tragic incident happened around 9:00pm on Saturday, when Alvi, along with 15-20 of his friends, tried to intercept the bus in Uttara’s Switch Gate area, said Tapan Chandra Saha, officer-in-charge of the police station.  

“As they tried to stop the bus, the driver ran them over to avoid being caught,” he added.

A number of witnesses said they saw the bus trying to speed away as some people were chasing it while some others were attempting to board it through the door and windows. At one stage, the Victor Classic bus hit another parked bus, crushing the two.

Locals then caught the driver, beat him up and handed him over to the police.       

The family filed a case against the driver and his two assistants yesterday.

Earlier on Saturday evening, family members held a meeting with the representatives of Victor Classic to strike a deal on the compensation for the death of Parvez.

At the meeting at a neighbour’s house, the family demanded Tk 20 lakh, but the operator turned down the proposal and asked the family to do “whatever they can”, said Rumana Sultana, widow of Parvez.

After the failed negotiation, Rumana went to the police station to file a case while Alvi along with his friends went shopping for the Qulkhwani of his father scheduled for Sunday, she said.

“My house is near the bus stop. The bus driver and helper might have recognised Alvi. That is why they tried to kill my son,” she said.

With critical fractures to his waist, Alvi is taking treatment at the Trauma Centre in Shyamoli.

“I have no money now and I don’t know how to pay for my son’s treatment,” said the mother.