Ctg accident robs 11 families of dreams, hopes

"Bring me my son. Where can I get my son? I forbade him to go. But he did not listen," Shahnaz Akhtar, mother of Ziaul Haque Sajeeb, who was killed in the Mirsharai accident in Chattogram, lamented.

Her son was among the 11 teachers and students from R&J Private Care, a coaching centre, who were killed when the Chattogram-bound train Mahanagar Prabhati collided with a microbus carrying the victims who were returning from Khayachhara fountain in Mirsharai upazila on Friday.

The deceased are microbus driver Golam Mostafa Niru, 26, Mohammad Hassan, 17, Ziaul Haque Sajeeb, 22, Wahidul Alam Jisan, 23, Riduan Chowdhury, 22, Mostafa Masud Rakib, 19, Sagar, 17, Iqbal Hossain Maruf, 17, Mushab Ahmed Hisham, 16, Tasmir Hasan, 17, and Md Mahim, 17.

Six people were injured in this incident: Tawhid Ibn Shawon, 20, Tasmir Hasan, Md Saikat, Imon, 19, Tanveer Hasan Hriday, Sajjad, 23. The injured are undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Back at Sajeeb's house in Khandakia village in Chikondandi union of Hathazari, the days of mourning have cast a long shadow.

Earlier, the burial was completed at 10 am in the local school grounds after the funeral.

The new coaching centre was launched in February this year by four friends including Ziaul Haque Sajeeb. Sajeeb was a second year student of the Mathematics department at the Omargani MES college.

His father, Abdul Hakim, worked at a local grocery store. His mother had sold her gold earrings and necklace to fund Sajeeb's coaching centre.

 "My son used to do tuition in the area. He had started a coaching centre. They were waiting for investment to come from abroad. So I took a loan of Tk50,000 from an NGO as the investment was being delayed. Later, I pawned my gold items and paid Tk25,000. My son's dream was to set up a coaching centre. But it's all over," she said.

"We were expecting guests on Friday so I forbade him from going to the picnic. But he didn't listen. Around 7 in the morning, Sajeev took out 20 juices from the fridge. He went out for the last time with two bags of juice and clothes. I was giving food to the guests at noon. Then my brother-in-law came and said that Sajeeb's car was hit by a train," she said.

All those killed and injured in the accident are former and current students of a local high school.

Sadhan Chandra Nath, a senior teacher of the school, told The Business Standard, "So many of our students died all at once! How can we accept this!"

Meanwhile, the Chattogram district administration has announced to provide cash assistance of Tk25,000 to each family of those killed and Tk15,000 to the injured in the Mirsharai train accident in Chattogram on Friday.

Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahidul Alam told TBS on Saturday that Tk25,000 will be given for the burial of the deceased and Tk15,000 for the treatment of the injured.