Chhatra Dal leader reportedly dies after falling from roof during police chase

A Chhatra Dal leader, Monowarul Hossain Bakshi, 29, has died after falling from the roof of a building in Savar during a police chase, according to his family and party members. Police, however, have said the matter is under investigation.

Savar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam confirmed the incident on Friday, August 7. Earlier, around midnight on Thursday, Monowarul fell from the roof of a five-storey building in the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) staff quarters in Savar and was critically injured. He was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The deceased, Monowarul Hossain Bakshi, was the son of Zafar, a security guard at BPATC, and was the vice-president of Savar Thana Chhatra Dal.

Police said a team from Pirganj Police Station in Rangpur had come to Savar on Thursday night to locate a young man and his girlfriend, following a missing person diary filed at Pirganj. A raid was conducted at Monowarul's residence with the assistance of Savar Model Police Station. However, the young man and his girlfriend had already left the premises before the raid.

A neighbour, Russell Moni, alleged that after failing to find the person they were looking for, police chased Monowarul, who then went up to the roof and fell. He was later declared dead at the hospital.

Dhaka District Chhatra Dal Joint General Secretary Sujan Shikdar also claimed that Monowarul died after falling from the roof during a police chase.

On the other hand, Sub-Inspector Kanak Ranjan Barman of Pirganj Police Station, who was part of the raid, said that a few minutes after finding no one at the house, they heard a sound and found a young man lying below the building. Necessary measures were then taken.

Savar Model Police Station OC Saiful Alam said a team from Savar police was present to assist Pirganj police in their operation. However, he maintained that members of the Savar force were positioned on the ground floor. During the search inside the building, the young man fell from the roof. A five-member investigation committee has been formed to probe the incident.