An eight-year-old schoolboy was crushed to death under the wheels of a school bus at Jalshiri in Rupganj, Narayanganj, prompting allegations of gross negligence and attempts by the school authorities to discourage the family from taking legal action.
The victim, Shahriar Sayan, was the eldest son of Saju Ahmed Selim and Sharmin Khatun, residents of the capital’s Khilkhet area.
Sayan’s father alleged that the school authorities initially informed him that his son had sustained minor injuries in an accident, but when he arrived, he found that the child’s bloodied body lying beneath a bus inside the campus.
He further claimed that the authorities pressured him to sign a written undertaking not to pursue legal action before allowing him to take his son’s body.
According to the family, the incident occurred shortly after classes ended, when Sayan was playing with his friends on the school premises.
As a school bus carrying students began moving out of the parking area, Sayan reportedly ran towards it. He fell beneath the vehicle as it turned and was crushed under its rear wheel.
The child died at the scene, according to family members. Speaking about the incident, Saju Ahmed Selim said he received a phone call from the school at around 3:40pm while working at his office in Dhanmondi.
“They told me my son had suffered a minor accident and asked me to come quickly. I reached the school within about 40 minutes.
But what I saw was beyond anything I could have imagined,” he said. “My son was lying bloodied beneath the bus, still wearing his school uniform, with his identity card hanging around his neck.
My world went dark.” Selim said police and army personnel were present when he arrived. He later received his son’s body after completing the necessary formalities.
He alleged that the school authorities initially prevented him from seeing the body and took him to the principal’s office, where attempts were made to settle the matter financially.
When those efforts failed, he claimed, he was asked to sign a no-objection undertaking stating that he would not file a criminal case or pursue legal proceedings over his son’s death.
The father said he eventually signed the document, citing concerns over a post-mortem examination, the lengthy legal process and his lack of confidence in obtaining justice.
However, he said he had explicitly demanded an investigation and disciplinary action against those responsible.
Selim also alleged that CCTV footage he viewed with the principal showed the bus moving without an assistant or helper.
“The bus was turning left when my son fell beneath its wheel. There was no helper to warn the driver or keep an eye on the children,” he said.
Questioning the school’s safety arrangements, he said an institution with thousands of students and around 20 buses should have taken adequate precautions to prevent such an accident.
“How could a driver operate a bus inside a school campus full of children without a helper? This is sheer negligence on the part of both the driver and the school authorities,” he alleged.
Selim demanded accountability and urged the Bangladesh Army and relevant government authorities to ensure exemplary action against those responsible.
Meanwhile, Sayan’s body was taken to his ancestral village of Ramchandrapur under Majpara Union in Pabna’s Atgharia upazila early Wednesday.
He was buried at the village graveyard following a funeral prayer at around 9:00am.
His uncle, Sohel Rana, said the family was struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.
“Sayan would have turned nine on November 12. We cannot believe he is no longer with us. His parents are devastated, and nothing can console them,” he said.
He also blamed the bus driver’s alleged negligence for the death.
Sayan’s father works at a private company, while his mother is a homemaker. The couple’s younger daughter, Shahrin, is four years old.
The school authorities, meanwhile, said a four-member investigation committee, headed by the principal, had been formed to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
They said the driver and helper concerned had been removed from duty, while the school planned to replace its contracted bus operator from November 1.
The authorities also said the question of financial compensation for the bereaved family was under consideration.
According to the school administration, arrangements were made for a refrigerated vehicle, preparation of the body for burial and funeral prayers.
However, the school authorities’ response did not directly address the father’s allegation that he had been pressured to sign an undertaking against legal action.
Several school officials said the institution’s chairman, Brigadier General Arifual Islam Khan, and principal, Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Muhammad Ferdous Hasan Tito, had been in communication regarding the incident. Contacted about the case, Rupganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge A H M Salahuddin said the family had declined to lodge a complaint.
“The family did not agree to file a case. According to the applicable procedure, a case would have to be filed under the road transport law. Since the family has not filed one, we cannot proceed on that basis,” he said.
Despite deciding not to pursue legal proceedings, Sayan’s father reiterated his demand for an impartial investigation and strict disciplinary action against those whose negligence may have contributed to his son’s death.