FIVE brothers were killed when a pickup truck ran over them on Tuesday morning. The victims were returning from a crematorium after performing the funeral rites for their recently deceased father in Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar. Our endless calls for enforcing toughest laws to reduce road accidents and train up the drivers were never given importance by the government. Thousands of valuable lives ended on the streets every year, millions of citizens become disabled, but the government at the end is doing nothing. The tragedy left their mother in shock. The brothers were preparing to observe Shraadho, a ritual in Hindu religion of paying homage to a dead parent that is performed days after the death. They had set up a marquee in their front yard and invited the neighbours and relatives to attend the last funeral rite for their father who died 10 days ago.
The incident happened when nine siblings were crossing the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway. Seven of them were severely injured and immediately taken to nearby hospitals, where doctors declared five of them dead. Police seized the vehicle and the driver was arrested yesterday. Between January and December 2021, at least 6,284 people were killed and 7,468 others injured in road accidents across the country, whereas in 2020, 5,431 people were killed and 7,379 others in road crashes, according to an annual report of the Bangladesh Road Safety Foundation.
Since the road safety protest of 2018, thousands of assurances poured in, billions of money invested in mega projects, laws passed in parliament, development stories aired and published, no change in road and people management for reducing road accidents. The citizens are still subject to mockery of policy makers and syndicates control the transport sectors.
