'Not a death, more than a murder': The perfect family photo now blurred by tragedy
"Those responsible must be punished through a proper investigation. I want justice,” says Irin Akhter, wife of Abul Kalam, who was killed after a metro rail bearing pad fell on him
It was a perfect family picture — a father, mother, daughter, and son. Now, that picture feels incomplete.
For Irin Akhter, a travel agency agent, life turned into a nightmare when a heavy bearing pad — weighing around 50 kilograms — fell from the metro rail structure and killed her husband, Abul Kalam, near Farmgate station today (26 October).
The metro, once hailed as a symbol of progress and relief for Dhaka's weary commuters, has now become the destroyer of a young family's dreams.
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The couple had been planning a foreign trip with their two children — a dream that will never come true.
Abul Kalam's passport, found near his body, helped police identify him.
"This is not a mere death; it is more than a murder. It is a clear picture of negligence by the authorities," Irin told The Business Standard over the phone, sitting beside her husband's body in a freezer van on the way to Narayanganj for his first janaza.
"Compensation will not heal our pain or bring him back. He will no longer be there for our children or for me. Those responsible must be punished through a proper investigation. I want justice," she added.
Abul Kalam's brother-in-law, Sohag Ahmed, said, "The son, Abdullah, is three years old, and the daughter, Marium, is two. Both have lost their father. How will compensation mend their broken dreams?"
He added, "Abul Kalam was preparing to go abroad again for work. That's why he was carrying his passport. The passport is still here — but he is gone. Who will take care of this family now?"
Sub-Inspector Ikhtiar Hossain of Tejgaon Police Station confirmed that Abul Kalam, 35, was the son of Jalil Chakdar of Ishwar Kathi in Naria upazila, Shariatpur.
He worked at a travel agency in Uttara and lived with his family in the Chashara area of Narayanganj.
Abul Kalam's brother-in-law said the janaza would take place in Narayanganj before the body was taken to Shariatpur for burial. "Kalam once worked in Malaysia. He got married six years ago and had been trying to build a stable life here since then," he added.
The incident
Earlier in the day, the Dhaka metro rail's Uttara-Agargaon and Motijheel-Shahbagh operations were suspended after a pedestrian was killed when a bearing pad, used to prevent vibration during train operations, came loose and fell on him.
The tragic incident occurred at around 12:15pm near the Farmgate metro station, confirmed Fazlul Karim, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Tejgaon division).
Authorities later launched a probe into the accident.
Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan visited the scene along with officials, and said a five-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
Members of the metro rail technical team started working in the afternoon to resolve the issue, allowing Uttara-Agargaon operations to resume by 3pm and Motijheel-Shahbagh by 7:15pm, according to the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).
