Brother, sister waiting to cuddle the miracle baby girl

Seven-year-old Ebadot was sitting next to three fresh graves in the yard of their mud home in Raimoni village in Mymensingh's Trishal upazila.

The house had been blessed with a miracle, but it was hard to tell this Sunday morning.  

Ebadot's sister, 10-year-old Jannat Akhter, sat nearby. "I saw my sister's picture on the mobile phone. I want to take her in my arms and cuddle her," she says.

Who will take care of her?

"My grandparents and I will do it together," she explains.

On Saturday, Jannat and Ebadot had heard of the birth of their siblings. An otherwise joyous occasion, which would call for festivities in the courtyard of any other newborn's house, was now a solemn event.

The siblings' parents - Jahangir Alam and nine-month pregnant Ratna - along with their sister Sanjida were killed when a truck ran them over in the Court Building area on the ​​Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway.

Their newborn sister was prematurely forced out of her mother's womb by the weight of the truck. It was a harrowing scene, but her birth was a miracle.

Hearing the baby's cries, bystanders realised she was still alive and rushed her to the Trishal Upazila Health Complex, from where she was admitted to Mymensingh CBMCB Hospital. After examination, it was found that she had a fracture in one of her arms.

She is currently admitted to another hospital in Mymensingh, under the care of paediatrician Dr Kamruzzaman.

He said the bone of her right hand was broken but the child was out of danger.

Terming the incident a miracle, he said there were times when a pregnant woman dies on the operating table and we get the chance to save the child. "But in this case, I cannot scientifically explain how the mother saved the child."

He, however, warned that the crowds of people, including media workers, who were taking pictures and livestreaming from the hospital could pose a risk of contracting infectious disease for the child.

The shocking incident has also evoked a sense of community.

The child is being looked after by the hospital owner Mohammad Shahjahan. Shahjahan said he and the child's father lived in the same area.

The child's medical expenses are being borne by a Trishal businessman who did not want to be named, he said.

Back home in the child's house, there was another crowd - one made up of stunned relatives and well-wishers.

The child's grandparents - Mostafizur Rahman Bablu and Sufia Akther - are both plagued with age-old complications, affecting their mobility. Although Mostafizur still works as a day labourer when he can, the family heavily relied on Jahangir's income.   

They dug the graves in their home because they did not have space elsewhere.

Road accidents are not unfamiliar to the family. Jahangir Alam's cousin Mohammad Al Amin said Jahangir's younger brother Fazlul Haque died in a road accident in 1995 and Jahangir's uncle Shamsul Haque died in a road accident in 2004. This time, the roads had come calling for Jahangir himself.

Now, for the grandparents and the three remaining children, the future is one of uncertainty.

Neighbour Monirul Islam said they were worried about the children.

Deputy Commissioner of Mymensingh Mohammad Enamul Haque said many people wanted to help the child and he would help as much as possible. For the moment, the district administration was keeping track of the child's safety and treatment.

Asaduzzaman, probation officer of the Department of Social Services in Mymensingh, went to the hospital on Sunday afternoon to visit the child.

He said they were ensuring the safety and treatment of the child, while many had expressed the desire to adopt her.

If she is adopted, then it will be through the social service department in accordance with the law, he said, adding that as far as he knew, the child's grandparents and uncles were not willing to adopt the baby.

Meanwhile, Mostafizur Rahman Bablu has filed a case against the unnamed truck driver under the road safety act.

Officer-in-charge of Trishal police station Moin Uddin said the truck had been seized and police were looking for the driver.

Meanwhile, the High Court on Sunday advised a writ regarding the compensation for the care and future of the child.

The HC bench headed by Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty said the order will be issued in the form of a writ.