Nine cops of Belabo police station, two of them inspectors, were killed in a road accident at Pukurpar in Shibpur upazila on the Dhaka-Sylhet high way Saturday morning, the police said.
The fatal accident took the lives of Belabo police station officer-in-charge (administration) 42-year old Faruque Ahmed Khan, officer-in-charge (investigation) 42-year old Ziaul Hoque Zia, sub-inspector-Konkon Kumar Mondol, and constables50-year old Bazlur Rahman, 42-year old Masud Parvez, 45-year old Narayan Chandra Datta, 40-year old Riazuddin, 42-year old Krisno Kanto Barmon, and 40-year old Razaul Karim, 40, the police superintendent Akkas Uddin Bhuiyan said.
Witnesses and police said that the accident occurred when a Narsingdi bound police pick-up van from Belabo police station collided head on with a Dhaka-bound truck carrying fish at around 10.30 AM.
They said that all the police personnel were going to the district headquarters to attend a meeting on law and order.
They said that five of the police personnel, including the two inspectors sitting on front seats, died on the spot.
Four others succumbed to their injuries at Narsingdi District Hospital.
Later, injured constable Priyatush Chandra Pal was shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.
Police seized the truck but the driver and his assistant fled.
The post and telecommunications minister, Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju, the inspector general of police Hasan Mahmud Khandokar, Narsingdi deputy commissioner Amrit Baroi and police superintendent Akkas Uddin Bhuyan visited the spot.
The IGP also visited Narsingdi hospital where he shared the grief of the bereaved family members.
He told reporters that the accident brought to the surface once again the working condition of the police without good vehicles and equipment.
He said that while discharging their duty relying on old and dilapidated vehicles the police were losing lives one after another.
‘In spite of this, there is no initiative as yet to properly equip the police,’ the IG said.
He gave an assurance to the bereaved families that they would be given all financial support.
When contacted, the deputy commissioner of Narsingdi told New Age that namaj-e-janaza of six of the cops was held at the local police line in the afternoon.
The formalities of handing over the bodies to the relatives were underway, he said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the opposition leader in parliament, Khaleda Zia, expressed profound shock at the death, the United News of Bangladesh said.
In a condolence message, the Prime Minister prayed for the salvation of the departed souls and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.
Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia said the role of police in maintaining country’s law and order is undeniable.
She termed the deaths of the nine members police force as an irreparable loss to the country.
Khaleda prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family members.
