Two people, including a local Jamaat-e-Islami leader, were killed and at least 10 others injured when a bus carrying them to the party’s national rally in Dhaka met with an accident in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur early Saturday.
The incident occurred around 3:30 am near Bhanga Model Mosque on the Khulna-Dhaka Highway.
The deceased were identified as Maulana Abu Sayeed (52), the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dakop upazila unit in Khulna, and Mohammad Amanat Sheikh (55), son of Md Ismail Sheikh from Banishanta in the same upazila.
Abu Sayeed died on the spot, while Amanat Sheikh succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Abu Sayeed also served as an assistant Maulvi at Chalna Billalia Alim Madrasa. He was the son of the late Shohor Ali of Chalna municipality and is survived by his wife and four daughters.
According to police, Jamaat leaders and activists were travelling from Khulna to Dhaka in a convoy of 260 buses to attend the party’s national rally at Suhrawardy Udyan. During a stop near Bhanga Model Mosque, several passengers got off to have tea.
At that time, the banner on one of the buses came loose, prompting Abu Sayeed and others to approach it. Suddenly, a Royal Paribahan bus rammed into them from behind, killing Abu Sayeed instantly. The vehicle fled the scene after the crash.
The seriously injured — Amanat Sheikh, Md Anisur Rahman, and Md Iqbal Hossain — were taken to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, where Amanat Sheikh was declared dead.
Confirming the incident, Bhanga Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Ashraf Hossain said, “Around 3:00 am, one person died on the spot in a road accident, and another passed away while undergoing treatment. Several others were also injured.”