When the crescent moon brings a message of joy in the sky of Bengal, the joyous festival has turned into a bloody tragedy for many. Every year, in the festive atmosphere, our loved ones head home with a heart full of hope, but many end up in crematoriums or graveyards. More than 204 fresh lives have been lost on the country's roads, railways and waterways, drowning the joy of Eid in sorrow.
Some of the tragic incidents of Eid-ul-Fitr 2026: A passenger bus sank into the riverbed at DaulatdiaGhat on the banks of the Padma River due to a mechanical malfunction and the driver's carelessness.When the dead bodies were being pulled out from under the water, only the smell of corpses and the cries of relatives could be heard in the air at the ghat.
A terrible disaster occurred in Bogra due to a train signal failure and derailment.The carriages crushed by the friction of iron sheets were proof of how fragile and vulnerable our railway system is. The negligence of the gateman at the level crossing and the haste of the bus took many lives.The wreckage of the bus, shattered by the fierce impact of the train, is like a bloody document of the state's mismanagement.
The calm waters of the Buriganga turned red with blood when a tragic accident occurred in the race between two launches at Sadarghat.The new Eid dress bought for a loved one was washed away in the current of rotten water.
A family's Eid joy ended in an instant on the Mirsarai highway.When the speeding private car lost control and twisted, only a few blood-stained gift packets were left there.
The ambulance that was going to save a dying patient turned into a hearse on the busy roads of Feni.The passengers of the ambulance were hit by a reckless bus and left for the land of no return. The last destination of the workers who got into pickups in the pursuit of livelihood or in the hope of returning home at a low cost was the Habiganj highway.The head-on collision of the bus crushed the Eid dreams of the uprooted people.
The bus, overloaded with passengers, lost control while taking the Mymensingh bend and overturned.The sound of the bones breaking and the pain of death of the crushed passengers was like a slap in the face of civilized society.
A reckless truck took the life of a teenager who was out with his friends wearing a new Eid Punjabi.The playful little gem in his mother's lap lay lifeless in the dust of the road. In the northern district of Lalmonirhat, several families were stunned in an instant when a truck and an easy bike collided.These death traps in rural towns seem to be getting wider day by day.
Many passengers drowned in a collision between two launches due to fog in the middle of the river or the driver's carelessness.Innocent people had to finally admit defeat after fighting the turbulent waves of the Padma to save their lives.
Several fresh lives were lost in a collision between an auto-rickshaw and a lorry on the Naogaon road.In this unequal battle between small vehicles and big vehicles, ordinary people are always the scapegoats. Members of the same family lost their lives in Kaliganj in a deadly game between CNG-powered autorickshaws and buses.They said goodbye together while traveling together.
Many young people lost their lives in Kushtia, Sunamganj and Kishoreganj due to the exuberance and addiction to speed of youth. These deaths have made Eid even bloodier due to motorcycle riding without helmets and reckless speeding.
The number of collisions with fast-moving buses and trucks has increased due to the use of easy bikes, nosimons and karimons on the highway. Traveling while hanging, crossing the road at random and walking on railway lines increase the risk of accidents.
Derailments or accidents often occur due to lack of proper maintenance of railway lines, dilapidated tracks and faulty signaling systems. Numerous unauthorized and unsafe level crossings and negligence of gatemen increase the risk of collisions between trains and other vehicles.
The following measures can be taken as urgent remedies to prevent accidents on roads, railways and waterways in Bangladesh: The Road Transport Act must be fully implemented.Especially, a zero tolerance policy must be adopted against unlicensed drivers and unfit vehicle
owners.
Dangerous intersections on roads and railways must be renovated and automatic signals and guards must be ensured at every level crossing.
Drivers must be given mental and technical training.In addition, a massive campaign must be launched to motivate the general public to obey traffic laws.
GPS tracking and speed control devices must be made mandatory in every vehicle, so that speed can be monitored centrally. Instead of a small number of large buses, the number of modern trains and boats must be increased to reduce the pressure on private cars and small vehicles.
The government must now take a master plan to make travel safe throughout the year, including the next Eid-ul-Azha. So that this bloodbath does not flow during the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha, a campaign must be launched to remove faulty bridges, unfit launches and illegal stands.Every organ of the state must work in a coordinated manner in the public interest.It must be remembered that an accident is a lifetime of tears.We do not want any more mothers to have empty breasts or children to be orphaned in the name of this Eid pilgrimage.
We must say death due to negligence and mismanagement is in no way desirable. We want a safe Bangladesh, where Eid does not only mean joy and tears. Only the combined efforts of the government, transport owners, drivers, and the common people can stop this 'death procession. May the next Eid be a time of relief upon returning home, with smiling faces of loved ones.
The writer is President of the International Anti-Drug Organization
