Metro rail tragedy: Abul Kalam laid to eternal rest as village mourns his tragic death
Before the Namaz-e-Janaza, villagers gathered to pay their respects to the coffin at Kalam’s home, with family members sobbing in the yard
Abul Kalam, the man tragically killed by a falling bearing pad from the Farmgate Metro Rail Station, was laid to rest at the Naria Municipality graveyard this morning (27 October) after an emotional final journey back to his ancestral home in Ishwarkathi village.
Now Abul Kalam has left me with tears for a lifetime. Where will I go with my two small children? Who will be by our side?
The coffin reached the village in Shariatpur's Naria Upazila late last night (26 October). This morning, a large crowd of relatives and villagers attended his second funeral prayer at the Poragacha Islamia Dakhil Madrasa field before he was buried at around 10am, according to a Prothom Alo report.
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Mourners could not hold back their tears as they bid a final farewell to the 35-year-old.
Kalam, the youngest of four brothers and six sisters, had been living in Narayanganj's Pathantuli area with his wife, Irin Akhter and their three-year-old son and two-year-old daughter. He worked for a travel agency in Motijheel, commuting daily for his job. The grief of the family was devastatingly apparent.
Before the Namaz-e-Janaza, villagers gathered to pay their respects to the coffin at Kalam's home, with family members sobbing in the yard.
His widow, Irin Akhter, struggled to be consoled as she rushed after the coffin, clutching her infant child. She shared her pain with Prothom Alo reporter, recalling the moment her husband left home yesterday morning.
She said, "Yesterday, when he (Abul Kalam) left the house, I was standing at the door. Even after he left, I couldn't bring myself to close the door. I don't know why, but my heart felt like it was breaking then. It never happened before. Now Abul Kalam has left me with tears for a lifetime. Where will I go with my two small children? Who will be by our side?"
Kalam's sister-in-law, Asma Begum, remembered his last conversation with her saying, "He called me around 11am yesterday and told me to buy some hilsa fish as the fishing ban in the river was over. He said he would come on Thursday to pick them up. He was supposed to arrive on Thursday, but instead, his body came sooner. Who knew that would be the last time I spoke to him?" she cried.
Abul Kalam was killed instantly yesterday at around 12:15pm near the Farmgate Metro Rail Station when a heavy bearing pad fell from the metro rail viaduct. His passport, found near his body, helped police identify him.
The incident, which has been labelled "more than a murder" by his wife, is now under investigation by a five-member committee formed by the government.
Naria Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdul Kaiyum Khan confirmed Prothom Alo that the local administration coordinated all aspects of the burial. He pledged that the upazila administration will stand by the family and that discussions are underway at the highest government level regarding assistance for them.
