An 18-year-old college student was killed when a motorcycle collided head-on with an autorickshaw in Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria, on Monday morning. Two other students travelling in the autorickshaw were injured in the crash.
The deceased, Sumaiya Akter, was a first-year humanities student at Nabinagar Government College. She was the daughter of Amir Hossain, a resident of Ruachala village in neighbouring Muradnagar upazila, Cumilla.
The accident took place near Aliabad Bus Stand in the municipal area of Nabinagar on Monday (9 November).
According to details of the incident, Sumaiya was travelling to college in an autorickshaw, as she did every day. She had boarded the vehicle at Rasulabad Autorickshaw Station and was heading towards her college when it collided head-on with a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction near Aliabad.
The force of the collision caused the autorickshaw to overturn. Sumaiya sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. The accident also left two other students travelling in the vehicle injured. They were identified as Eva, 17, and Mithila, 17.
The sudden loss has devastated Sumaiya’s family. Her mother, Ratna, expressed her grief and appealed for greater care on the roads so that other families would not have to suffer a similar tragedy.
“May no other mother have to lose her child in this way,” she said.
Inspector (Investigation) Rajib Kanti Nath of Nabinagar Police Station confirmed the incident. He said a student of Nabinagar Government College had died following a collision between an autorickshaw and a motorcycle.
Police would review CCTV footage from the area to establish the circumstances of the accident and take the necessary action, he added.
Rezaul Karim, principal of Nabinagar Government College, also confirmed Sumaiya’s death. He described her as a meritorious student in the first year of the humanities department.
Her death has cast a shadow over the college community, with classmates and teachers mourning the loss of a young student. For her family, the tragedy is particularly painful as she had been making an ordinary journey to attend her classes when the accident occurred.
The incident has also drawn attention to the road safety risks faced by students who depend on local transport for their daily journeys to educational institutions. Autorickshaws are a common means of transport in many parts of Bangladesh, particularly for people travelling between villages, local transport hubs and town centres.
The circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be fully established. Police have said they will examine the available CCTV footage before deciding on further action. The investigation is expected to help clarify how the motorcycle and autorickshaw collided.
While the two injured students are also part of the tragedy, Sumaiya’s death has left her family and educational institution facing an irreversible loss. Her mother’s appeal reflects the wider concern that greater attention to road safety is needed to prevent similar incidents and protect those travelling to school and college.
