Construction worker killed in crash, case filed against another as teen drove - Prothom Alo English
The private car ran over Mehedi Hasan as he sat on this footpath. Baridhara, Dhaka, Tuesday afternoon.Video footageMehedi Hasan (24), a construction worker was sitting on a footpath taking rest when a speeding private car veered off the road and struck him. Mehedi was crushed under the car's wheels and died at the scene.
Following the accident, people at the spot detained a teenager who was in the driver's seat. Police later took him into custody but released him after questioning.
The teenager was not named in the case filed over the incident. Instead, a man named Akash Marok (44) has been named as the driver of the car in the case. He has been absconding since the incident.
This has raised questions about who was actually driving the car at the time of the accident and why the teenager was not made an accused after being detained from the driver’s seat.
The incident occurred around 5pm on Tuesday on Road No. 1 of the Baridhara Diplomatic Zone in Dhaka. Mehedi Hasan was from Sonaray village in Domar upazila of Nilphamari.
Witnesses and police said Mehedi was sitting on the footpath taking rest in the afternoon. At the time, a speeding private car lost control, drove onto the footpath and ran him over. People nearby rushed to the scene and pulled Mehedi’s bleeding body from under the car. He was later taken to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Mehedi’s elder brother, Moktadir Islam (28) filed a case at Gulshan police station under the Road Transport Act.
Attempts to contact Moktadir Islam for his comments on why the teenager was not named in the case were unsuccessful. His mobile phone was switched off.
People at the scene detained a teenager who was sitting in the driver’s seat after the accident and handed him over to police. Police later took him into custody.
Police said the teenager was taken into custody to prevent him from becoming a ‘victim of mob violence’ at the hands of angry people. He was released later that night into the custody of his uncle after questioning.
According to Gulshan police, the teenager is an O-level student at an English-medium school in the Gulshan area of Dhaka. His father Abbas Ali Sharif is a captain at Biman Bangladesh Airlines. The private car involved in the accident is registered in his mother’s name.
A video of the accident also shows the teenager sitting in the driver’s seat. The CCTV footage has been circulating on social media.
The footage shows the private car hitting Mehedi as he sat on the footpath before crashing into a streetlight pole and coming to a stop. Two people then get out of the car.
The black T-shirt wearing teenager is seen getting out from the right side of the car. A middle-aged man wearing a shirt gets out from the other side.
When people nearby rush to the scene, both remain beside the car. The teenager is later seen moving away from the spot. Angry people subsequently detained him and handed him over to police. However, his name does not appear in the case filed over the incident.
The case statement says Akash Marok was driving the car recklessly when he ran over Mehedi. Mehedi suffered serious injuries to his head, chest and back and died at the scene.
Police said Akash has been absconding since the incident. The car was seized after the accident. If the teenager’s involvement is proven, he will be arrested, police said.
Ismail Hossain, inspector (investigation) of Gulshan police station, told Prothom Alo, “Mehedi’s elder brother filed the case naming Akash Marok as the driver of the car. The teenager was not named in the case. That is why he was released after questioning. He will be arrested if his involvement is found after analysing the footage.”
