He Stepped Out to Buy Groceries—Minutes Later, His Body Came Home!

Golam Mostafa was supposed to return home that evening with the day’s groceries, just as he did every day. His elderly paralysed father depended on him for medicine, his mother for daily care, and his wife and children for the simple comforts of life. Every member of the seven-person household relied on the modest income he earned from driving an easy-bike. On Saturday evening, however, the return journey that kept his family afloat became the final journey of his life. A speeding motorbike on the Rangpur–Dinajpur highway struck him with such force that he died instantly, his lifeless body later being carried back to a home plunged into grief and uncertainty.

The accident occurred at around 5:30 pm near the Brothers Cold Storage area. Mostafa, who lived in Uttar Rahimapur Joybangla village of Kursha Union in Taraganj, Rangpur, was attempting to cross the road in his easy-bike when a fast-moving motorcycle hit him from behind. According to the police, the impact threw him violently onto the tarmac, killing him on the spot. The easy-bike was his only means of livelihood; now, the family faces an uncertain future.

Mostafa was the only son of Ishaq Ali, an elderly man with no land or property. Ishaq had spent years working in Sylhet as a rickshaw-puller to raise his only child. As he grew older and became paralysed, the responsibility of providing for the family fell entirely on Mostafa. With only two decimals of land and two tin-sheds to their name, the family lived hand-to-mouth. The easy-bike Mostafa drove daily was their sole financial asset.

His three children—Mamad Mia, a ninth-grade madrasa student; Mawa Moni, a seventh-grader; and nine-year-old Abdus Rahman, a student at a Hafezia madrasa—depended on their father’s meagre income for schooling and basic needs. Now they face a life of uncertainty.

When reporters visited the home at around 7 pm, an atmosphere of devastating sorrow hung over the household. Relatives, neighbours, and local residents filled the courtyard, many of them shedding tears at the sight of Mostafa’s grieving family. Mostafa’s father, Ishaq Ali, sat silently in a corner, staring blankly until he eventually broke down in tears. “If only my son had lived,” he cried, “there would still be someone to care for these children. Who will bring my medicine now? Who will feed the children? How will we survive?”

His wife, Abeda Begum, repeatedly fainted as she wept beside her husband’s body. “He said he was coming home with groceries. Where are they now? Why is he silent? Who killed him?” she cried before losing consciousness once more.

Mostafa’s mother, Moslema Begum, also collapsed, overcome by grief. After neighbours revived her by splashing water on her face, she sobbed: “Who will call me ‘Ma’ now? Who will care for these little grandchildren? Who will pay for their schooling? How will our stove burn now?”

Neighbours described Mostafa as a hardworking and devoted family man. “He struggled every day to bring food to the table,” said Ashraful Islam. “He was the only earning member. The family is destroyed.”

Local Union Parishad member Monayem Khan echoed the sentiment, describing the family’s situation as “extremely tragic.” He added, “If he didn’t drive a day, the family went hungry. Now they have nothing. Such deaths are unbearable.”

Taraganj Highway Police Officer-in-Charge Mostafizur Rahman confirmed that the motorcycle involved in the collision has been seized and that legal action is underway.