Railway Trackside Jungle Yields Gravely Injured Youth

A 21-year-old man was found with severe slash wounds to his neck and other parts of his body beside a railway line in Saidpur, Nilphamari, on Monday morning. He was rescued in a critical condition and initially taken to Saidpur Upazila Health Complex before being transferred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment as his condition deteriorated.

The injured man has been identified as Hridoy Islam, son of Muhubar Rahman of Chawra Bagichapara in Saidpur upazila. He works as a roti maker at a local hotel.

According to eyewitnesses and local residents, Hridoy was found lying in a blood-soaked condition in a patch of jungle beside the railway tracks near the boundary wall of the railway workshop in the Islampur Chini Mosque area at around 7am on Monday, 3 August. Several residents had gone out for their usual morning walk when they noticed the young man lying motionless in the vegetation.

Alarmed by the discovery, locals contacted the national emergency service 999 and informed the police. Before officers could reach the scene, however, residents rescued Hridoy and rushed him to Saidpur hospital in an attempt to save his life.

A mobile phone number written on a piece of paper found in Hridoy’s pocket was subsequently used to contact his family. His mother-in-law, Mina Begum, later arrived at the hospital.

Speaking to hospital officials, Mina said Hridoy had married her daughter around a year and a half ago and that the couple had a young child. She said Hridoy had travelled to Natore last Friday with two acquaintances from the same area, identified as Momtazul and Jahangir, in connection with work.

The family, however, could not explain how Hridoy returned to Saidpur or what had happened to him in the intervening period. They also said they had no information about who might have attacked him or why he was left critically injured beside the railway line.

Doctors treating Hridoy said he had suffered a serious injury to his throat, apparently caused by a sharp weapon. He also had multiple injuries consistent with attacks by a knife or similar weapon on his hands and legs. The injuries had resulted in substantial blood loss, leaving his condition critical.

Haiyul Kabir Rajib, a physician at the emergency department of Saidpur hospital, said the severity of the injuries required immediate specialist treatment. As Hridoy’s condition worsened, doctors arranged for him to be transferred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where he could receive more advanced medical care.

Saidpur police have begun investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Officers visited both the location where Hridoy was found and the hospital after receiving information about the case.

Saidpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rezaul Karim Reza said the authorities were treating the incident seriously and were working to establish what had happened. He said details about the circumstances of the attack and those responsible could be disclosed after the investigation makes further progress.

The incident has left the victim’s family and local residents searching for answers. Investigators are expected to examine Hridoy’s movements after he travelled to Natore, his contact with the two men who accompanied him, and how he eventually came to be found injured near the railway tracks in Saidpur.