A journey home ended in tragedy on Monday night when a Islamic teacher and a mosque imam were killed in a horrific road collision on the Dhaka-Barisal highway in Bhanga Upazila, Faridpur.
The victims have been identified as Arifur Rahman, 28, a teacher at a Qawmi Madrasa from the Tushkhali area of Patuakhali, and Salauddin Howlader, 38, a mosque imam hailing from Mandrarchar Khushirya in the Hijla Upazila of Barisal. Both men were travelling together on a motorcycle, heading home to spend time with their families, when the fatal collision occurred at approximately 11:00 pm in the Arumath area of Chumurdi Union.
According to police reports and eyewitness accounts, the pair were riding southbound towards Barisal after departing from Dhaka. As they negotiated the Arumath stretch of the highway, a northbound passenger coach belonging to ‘Dashmina Paribahan’ struck their motorcycle head-on. The sheer impact of the collision left the two riders with catastrophic injuries, and both died at the scene before medical assistance could arrive.
Local residents rushed to the spot following the crash and assisted in recovering the victims, transporting them to the Bhanga Upazila Health Complex. However, the attending physician, Dr Akhtar Hossain, confirmed that both men had succumbed to their injuries prior to reaching the facility.
Sub-Inspector Obaidul of the Bhanga Highway Police Station stated that officers arrived promptly to secure the crash site and manage traffic flow on the busy highway. Highway police have initiated legal proceedings regarding the seized vehicle and the bus involved in the crash. Authorities are currently investigating whether excessive speed or dangerous overtaking contributed to the tragic incident.
Road traffic accidents remain a persistent peril along Bangladesh’s national highways, particularly on major arteries like the Dhaka-Barisal route. A high volume of long-distance buses, combined with limited lane separation and mixed-speed traffic, creates hazardous conditions for smaller vehicles and two-wheelers during night-time travel.
