A nine-year-old schoolgirl died tragically on Friday afternoon, 13 November, after falling from the roof of a three-storey building while playing blind man’s buff in Katiadi upazila of Kishoreganj. The victim, identified as Snigdha Barman Adri, lost her balance during the game at a building adjacent to Little Flower School in the upazila headquarters. Her sudden death has cast a pall of deep grief over her family, classmates, and the wider local community.

Adri was a third-grade student at Little Flower School on Katiadi Hospital Road. She was the only daughter of Sub-Inspector Subhash Chandra Barman, who is currently posted at the Ahutia Police Investigation Centre in neighbouring Pakundia upazila. Although the family’s ancestral home is in Bagua village under Kapasia upazila of Gazipur, they had been residing in Katiadi owing to her father’s official posting.

According to family members and local sources, Adri went up to the roof of their three-storey residence on Friday afternoon to play with her younger brother and several neighbourhood children of her age. Before long, the group began playing kanamachi, the traditional game of blind man’s buff. Following the rules of the game, Adri had a cloth tied over her eyes. While moving about blindfolded on the roof, she misjudged the boundary and accidentally fell to the ground below. Within seconds, a cheerful afternoon of play turned into a scene of sheer panic.

Relatives and neighbours rushed to the spot, rescued the critically injured child, and took her immediately to the Katiadi Upazila Health Complex. After administering primary medical care, attending physicians referred her to Jahurul Islam Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment as her condition remained grave. However, her physical state continued to deteriorate even after reaching the medical college facility. Desperate to save her life, family members set out towards Dhaka for specialised care. On the way, her condition grew critical, prompting them to stop at a hospital in Narsingdi. Following an emergency examination, doctors on duty pronounced the young girl dead.

News of Adri’s untimely demise brought an atmosphere of profound sorrow to her school. Md. Abul Hasan, founder and headmaster of Little Flower School, remembered her as an exceptionally bright and meritorious student of Class Three. He noted that the entire school community is deeply bereaved by her sudden loss.

For her father, Sub-Inspector Subhash Chandra Barman, the loss of his only daughter has proven devastating. Weeping inconsolably, he struggled to comprehend the sudden tragedy. “I have lost my family’s dream,” he said, his voice choked with emotion. “Whom will I call ‘Ma’ now, and who will call me ‘Baba’? I had big dreams for Adri, yet everything ended in an instant. Our only prayer is that the Almighty keeps my Adri well.”