Teenager driving car in Baridhara accident sent to Tongi child centre

A court has ordered a 17-year-old boy who was at the wheel of a car to be sent to a child development centre over the death of construction worker Mehedi Hasan (24), who was killed after being hit by a car while sitting on a footpath in Baridhara in the capital.

Judge Md Abdul Moktadir of Dhaka Child Court-8 issued the order on Thursday, September 24, following an application by the investigating officer, to send the teenager to the Tongi Child Development Centre in Gazipur.

Meanwhile, the teenager's lawyer, Alamgir Hossain, said the case filed over the killing of Mehedi Hasan by being hit by a car has been settled through compromise at Tk 9 lakh.

Informing journalists about the compromise deed in front of the Child Court, Alamgir Hossain said Tk 1 lakh was given for burial and another Tk 8 lakh was given considering the future of Mehedi's elderly parents.

When contacted, Mehedi's brother and the plaintiff in the case, Moktadir Islam, acknowledged the compromise. However, he said he does not know how much money the compromise was reached for. Moktadir said the case has been settled. He does not know for how much; his uncle knows about the matter.

The accident took place around 5pm last Tuesday on the footpath of Road No. 1 in Baridhara Diplomatic Zone. While resting on the footpath, a speeding private car lost control and ran over Mehedi. He was later taken to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

After the accident, people at the scene detained the teenager who was at the wheel and handed him over to police. However, after questioning, he was released into his uncle's custody that same night.

Mehedi's brother, Moktadir Islam, filed a case with Gulshan Police Station on Wednesday over his death. Although Akash Marak was named as the driver in the case, the teenager who was at the wheel was not named. After criticism over the matter, Gulshan Police Station arrested the teenager on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the investigating officer of the case, SI Arefin Islam of Gulshan Police Station, produced the teenager in court and applied to keep him at a child development centre. The court then ordered him to be sent to the Tongi Child Development Centre.

When asked about the compromise, SI Arefin Islam said he was not aware of the matter. Asked whether it would affect the investigation, he said they will continue the investigation in their own way.