‘They told me it was a minor accident. My son was dead’

Eight-year-old Sahriar Sayon was run over by a school bus; his father explains why he declined an autopsy and signed an undertaking

Eight-year-old Sahriar Sayon had just finished another day at school and was waiting beside the school bus on campus, as he did every day, when another school bus struck and ran over him, killing him at the scene.

The incident took place on Tuesday at Adamjee Cantonment Public School and College in the Jolshiri Abashon project in Narayanganj's Rupganj. Sayon was buried at his ancestral home in Pabna the following morning.

Sayon was the elder of two children of Md Sazu Ahmmed, who works at a private company in Dhaka. The family lives in Khilkhet.

Interviews with Sayon’s family, school officials and police suggest that the bus that ran over him was being driven without its helper on board, as the helper was outside the campus gate at the time. With several school buses parked nearby, the bus, which was carrying students, was making a turn when it struck Sayon and ran over him.

His father believes the absence of the helper and alleged mismanagement of the school's bus services contributed to his son's death.

“The school called me around 3:45pm that day and told me my son had been in a ‘minor’ accident. I immediately rushed to the school on my motorcycle from my workplace in Dhanmondi,” Sazu told The Daily Star.

“It was around 4:30pm when I arrived. I realised it was not a minor accident at all -- my son was dead. His body was lying in the dust beside the rear wheel of the bus.

“Several buses were lined up there, each for a different route. My son’s bus had not filled up yet, so he had left his schoolbag inside and was standing outside.”

Sazu said CCTV footage showed that no helper was beside the bus when the accident occurred.

“There should also have been a ground attendant there. Children were moving around, and so many buses operate from that spot. If a helper or ground attendant had been present, the driver might have realised that someone was near the bus. Call it negligence, carelessness or mismanagement -- there was a failure,” he said.

Adamjee's principal, Lt Col (retd) Ferdous Hasan, also confirmed that the driver's helper was outside the campus gate at the time.

Family signed undertaking to take Sayon’s body home

A written undertaking submitted by Sazu to the institution surfaced on Facebook on Wednesday, where he had to agree not to pursue legal action over his son's death.

The document said that he would not initiate legal proceedings or file a criminal case over the incident. It also said he did not personally hold anyone responsible for his son's death and wanted to take the body to his village home in Pabna for burial.

However, in the last line of the undertaking, the father requested that the school authorities conduct a proper investigation, identify anyone responsible, and take action against them.

Sazu said he had declined an autopsy because he feared a lengthy legal process and the additional distress it would cause his family. His wife was pregnant, he added.

“I have little faith in the country’s legal system and investigation through the police. The process is also time-consuming. My child has died, and we could not bear the stress of a lengthy legal process on top of that,” he said.

“I was told that I needed to submit a written undertaking. When the school prepared the document, it mentioned only a ‘bus accident’. I asked them to change it to ‘school bus accident’.”

Sazu said he added the final line himself to make it clear that, although he was not pursuing a criminal case, he expected the school to investigate the incident and hold anyone found responsible accountable.

“I told them to form an inquiry committee, identify anyone at fault and take disciplinary action. They must also improve school bus management so that no other child suffers such a tragic death,” he said.

He also submitted a written statement to the police expressing his wish to receive the body without an autopsy and confirming that he had taken custody of it.

Sayon’s body was bathed and wrapped in a shroud at the school before being taken to the family’s home in Khilkhet. From there, it was transported in a refrigerated van to their village home in Pabna for burial.

“My child’s head was completely crushed. His face was in no condition to be seen. I could not let his mother or anyone else see his face. We took him home only to bury him,” Sazu said with a sigh.

He reiterated that the CCTV footage should be examined and legal action taken against anyone found responsible.

School promises investigation

Speaking to The Daily Star, principal Ferdous Hasan said the institution hired buses on a contractual basis to transport students.

“The child had left his bag on another bus and was standing outside. The driver’s helper was not there at the time. As the driver was making a turn, the bus struck the child, causing him to fall underneath it and be run over. This is an extremely tragic incident for us as well,” he said.

“We are investigating the matter seriously. The inquiry will examine what went wrong and why the incident occurred, and we will take further action based on the findings.”

Asked what action could be taken, the principal said the driver or anyone else found negligent would be dismissed. The inquiry committee would also recommend whether further legal action was warranted, he added.

No case had been filed over the incident, said AHM Salauddin, officer-in-charge of Rupganj Police Station.

He said the family had not sought legal action and had declined an autopsy.

“The affected family must seek legal remedies. They did not want a post-mortem and said they would not pursue legal action. If they seek police assistance, we will provide it. A case can be filed at any time. This is not a closed chapter; it is up to the family,” he said.