A heart-wrenching last post: Azad wished to 'escape from life' hours before metro rail mishap
Family members and neighbours have blamed the metro rail authorities’ negligence for Azad’s untimely death and demanded justice and compensation
"Have many wishes but if I could just run away from life for now।।" — this was the last Facebook post of Abul Kalam Azad from Shariatpur's Naria upazila, who died in the tragic metro rail accident in Dhaka's Farmgate area today (26 October).
None could have imagined that the despair hidden in those words would become a heartbreaking reality just hours later.
A wave of grief has swept through Ishwarkathi village in Naria's Moktererchar union following the death of Azad. The air in the village has become heavy with the cries of relatives and neighbours mourning the unfortunate death of the young man.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Family members blame faulty metro rail construction for his tragic death.
The once vibrant young man in the photograph — Abul Kalam Azad — will now remain only in memory.
The bearing pad that fell from the metro rail structure ended his life abruptly, leaving behind two young children and a devastated family.
When visited, his home in Ishwarkathi was filled with the heart-wrenching cries of relatives as Kalam's cousin said, "He was like my own brother. We shared everything — joy and sorrow. I still can't believe he's gone. His death is an irreparable loss for our family."
Among six sisters and four brothers, Kalam was the seventh and dearest to all.
His sisters' wails pierced the sky as they mourned their beloved brother. Overwhelmed by grief, family members were fainting repeatedly, unable to bear the loss. The air of Moktererchar union was thick with sorrow.
Losing their beloved one has left the family shattered. Having lost both parents in childhood, Kalam grew up in his ancestral home in Naria. He later settled in Narayanganj's Pathantuli area with his wife and two children, working at a private travel agency, relatives said.
On the day of the accident, he went to Dhaka for work — a routine trip that ended in tragedy.
Family members and neighbours have blamed the metro rail authorities' negligence for Kalam's untimely death and demanded justice and compensation.
"The state must take lifelong responsibility for his helpless family and two innocent children," they said.
His elder brother Khokon said, "We were ten siblings. After losing our parents early in life, Kalam grew up in our care — not just as a brother but like my own son. Now we're waiting for his body to arrive. This pain is unbearable."
He added that after the namaz-e-janaza at his Narayanganj residence, Kalam's body will be brought back to the village in Shariatpur. The final janaza will be held tomorrow (27 October) morning at 9am at the Purba Poragacha Islamia Dakhil Madrasa ground, followed by burial at the Naria Jame Mosque central graveyard.
