Burnt during hartal, he succumbs at dmch
Monir Hossain, a 16-year-old boy, who received serious burn injuries in an attack by pro-hartal activists in Gazipur sadar upazila on the first day of the opposition-sponsored 60-hour hartal, died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) early on Thursday. He died at 4.45 am in the ICU of the hospital’s burn unit after battling for life for three days, said Mozammel Hoque, sub-inspector of the DMCH police outpost.
Monir was buried in Kanchanpur village of Kaliakoir in Gazipur, family sources said.
Earlier, Ramzan Ali, a middle-aged man from Kaliakhur upzalia of Gazipur district, had brought his mentally ill son Monir to the capital to take him around the city. “I did not get time to take my children to visit picturesque locations. So, I decided to take him around during the countrywide hartal,” said.
“I drive a covered van of Tangail Transport. After loading goods from Chawkbazar area in Old Dhaka, I reached Gazipur Chowrasta around 4.30 am Monday,” he added.
Ali parked his vehicle by the roadside. “After we ate together at a roadside hotel, I told my son to sleep inside the covered van. Keeping him there, I went to find out if I could safely unload the goods. I was standing about 250-300 yards away from my van,” said Ali.
Suddenly, a devastating fire broke out inside his vehicle. Fire-fighting units and the police rushed to the spot and tried to extinguish the fire. “I ran to the vehicle and saw my son lying on the road. He was completely burnt,” he said.
“Eyewitnesses told me that five to six youths poured patrol on my vehicle and fled before the police arrived there,” he added. The boy was rushed to Gazipur Sadar Hospital, but the doctors referred him to the DMCH’s Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit.
“A student of class V, Monir stopped going to school because of mental illness. I have another son, Likhon, who also wanted to come with us. Almighty Allah saved him. I am only a poor driver. Why did they have to do this to my son?” he said.
Meanwhile, talking to The Independent, inspector Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Gazipur Sadar Police Station, said, “We have told the court to turn the arson case into a murder case after the victim died.”
Ten persons have been arrested in this connection, he added.
-With The Independent input
