A father's darkest call of duty

 
KISHOREGANJ, July 24: A police constable responding to what appeared to be a routine fatal road accident in Kishoreganj on Friday was confronted with the unimaginable when he reached the scene and discovered that the unidentified schoolboy killed by a cement-laden truck was his own 10-year-old son, turning a call of duty into a father's worst nightmare.

The victim, Mohammad Tuhin, a Class IV student of Gaital Janata School and son of Constable Shamsul Haque of Kishoreganj Sadar Model Police Station, was killed after being run over by the truck on Janata School Road in the district town at around 10:30am, police said.

According to police, the station received an emergency call reporting that an unidentified schoolboy had been killed in a road accident involving a truck. Following standard procedure, a patrol team was immediately dispatched to the scene.

Constable Shamsul, who was driving the patrol vehicle, was among the first responders. But moments after arriving, the routine assignment turned into a personal tragedy as he recognised the lifeless child lying on the road as his own son.

Witnesses said Tuhin had left his home in the Gaital area on his bicycle and was travelling along Janata School Road when the cement-laden truck struck him. He died at the scene from his injuries.

The incident left grieving family members, stunned residents and fellow police officers in deep shock.

Tania Nazneen, duty officer at Kishoreganj Sadar Model Police Station, said the victim could not be identified immediately after the accident, prompting police to dispatch a patrol team in line with standard procedure.

Officer-in-Charge of Kishoreganj Sadar Model Police Station Mohammad Abul Kalam Bhuiyan said police recovered the body and sent it to Kishoreganj General Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

He said efforts were underway to trace the truck involved in the accident and that legal action would be taken following an investigation.

The tragedy has once again drawn attention to road safety concerns, particularly the risks faced by schoolchildren travelling on busy roads, and underscored the devastating toll road crashes continue to take on families across the country.