Parents devastated by loss of 2 children in road crash

“My son died in my arms! My daughter’s leg was crushed by the CNG. The bus took everything from me. What is left for me to live for?” Jahangir Alam’s words echoed with unbearable pain as he and his wife, Shefali Begum, mourned the tragic loss of their two children in a road accident.

Jahangir, a resident of Hossainpur village in Cumilla’s Debidwar upazila, lost his son, Zunayed Hossain (12), and daughter, Fahima Akhter (10), in a devastating crash on November 7. The family was traveling in Jahangir’s autorickshaw on the Cumilla-Sylhet highway, heading to their grandfather’s house in Aluya village, when tragedy struck.

Zunayed, a student at Sreepur Hafezia Madrasa, and Fahima, a student at Noorani Madrasa, never made it to their destination. Jahangir, who was also seriously injured in the accident, has yet to recover fully.

At their home, the grief was overwhelming. Shefali Begum came out of her tin house in tears, her body trembling with sorrow. “Please, bring back my children. I want nothing else. The bus driver shattered my world. How can I go on living?” she cried before collapsing to the ground.

Neighbors shared how Jahangir and Shefali had married in 2012 and lovingly raised their two children. Despite their modest income, the couple dedicated themselves to providing their children with a good upbringing and a better future. The children were the center of their lives, and now, they are gone, leaving the parents heartbroken.

Jahangir recounted the accident, saying, “I was driving my autorickshaw on the left side of the road after passing a rickshaw van. Suddenly, a bus coming from the opposite direction hit the back of my vehicle, overturning it on the roadside.”

The family blames the bus driver’s reckless driving for the accident. “I demand strict punishment for the bus driver,” said Jahangir. “I had just bought this autorickshaw for 2.5 lakh taka on installment, and within a month, I lost everything.”

The children’s grandmother, Ranu Begum, shared her grief: “The bus driver destroyed our lives. Though we were poor, we had peace in our family. Now, everything is gone. How will we survive?”

The children were buried in the family graveyard after Friday prayers on November 8. Their grandfather, Mohammad Shahid, said, “At first, we thought the bus was from Sugandha Paribahan, but later we learned it was Farzana Paribahan. After the accident, the bus owner reportedly sent the vehicle and driver to Dhaka.”

“We don’t want money,” he said with a trembling voice. “We want justice.”

The family’s sorrow is immeasurable, their loss irreparable, as they now wait for justice for their beloved children.