An eight-year-old student of Adamjee Cantonment Public School and College died after being run over by a bus on the compound of the institution’s Jalshiri branch in Rupganj, Narayanganj, on Tuesday.
The deceased, Shahriar Shayan, was the son of Saju Ahmed, a resident of the Batatola area of Khilkhet in Dhaka. He was a second-grade student.
The death has raised concerns among guardians about student safety and the school’s transport arrangements, prompting demands for stricter safety measures.
Police say no complaint filed
Rupganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) AHM Salauddin told Dhaka Tribune on Thursday morning that the student had died after being run over by a bus.
“On receiving the news, a police team went to the spot. After inspecting the scene, we spoke with the student’s guardians. We offered them every kind of legal assistance,” he said.
The OC said police had urged the family to file a case and assured them of legal assistance.
“We told them, ‘We are by your side. File a case. You will be given every kind of legal assistance,’” he said.
However, Shayan’s father, Saju Ahmed Selim, declined to file a case.
“Who would I file a case for? The one I would file it for is already gone,” he said.
The OC added that no one had lodged a complaint over the incident.
What the school authorities say
Saidur Rahman, a retired warrant officer and the school’s senior office superintendent, told Dhaka Tribune on Thursday morning that Shayan was standing behind a school bus while preparing to go home after classes ended.
The bus ran over the child while reversing, killing him on the spot, Rahman said.
“This is an unfortunate incident, and we are mourning. A four-member committee, headed by the school principal, has been formed to investigate the incident. An inquiry into compensation for the child’s family is also underway,” he said.
Rahman added that the bus company and the driver would be changed following the incident.
Following Shayan’s death, several guardians met with the principal and presented six demands to the school authorities.
According to guardians who attended the meeting, Principal Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Ferdous Hasan Titu said the authorities would begin implementing the demands in phases immediately after the upcoming Puja holidays.
The demands include establishing a designated area for students to safely get on and off school buses, away from regular traffic and other people; allowing guardians to accompany children from Nursery to class II on school buses; and barring outside vehicles from entering the campus.
The guardians also demanded that each bus maintain an attendance record and ensure students board and get off at designated stops in accordance with a student list.
They called for bus departures to be announced over a loudspeaker, saying buses are often delayed after classes end, leaving students waiting and playing on the school field.
Their final demand was that bus drivers and helpers be recruited only after undergoing drug tests.
Dhaka Tribune contacted Principal Titu for comment, but he did not respond to queries.
However, according to people familiar with the meeting, he acknowledged the school’s responsibility, saying: “We cannot escape this responsibility. We have formed an investigation committee to find out why such an incident occurred. The guilty will be identified and exemplary punishment will be ensured. The school authorities will remain vigilant so that such incidents do not happen in the future.”
Several guardians expressed concern about the safety of other children following Shayan’s death.
They said the school authorities could not evade responsibility, as the incident occurred on campus.
What Shayan’s family says
Shayan’s father, Saju Ahmed Selim, works at a private company and lives in the Batatola area of Khilkhet in Dhaka. His wife, Sharmin Khatun, is a homemaker.
Shayan was the elder of their two children. His younger sister, Shahrin, is 4 years old.
Selim told Dhaka Tribune that Shayan’s classes ended at 3pm every day and the school bus usually left between 3:15pm and 3:20pm.
“I was at my office in Dhanmondi at the time. The school called me at 3:40pm and asked me to come to the school urgently. I reached the school within 40 minutes by motorcycle. What I saw there, I was not prepared to see. My son Shayan was lying bloodied under the bus, in his school uniform with his ID card hanging around his neck. My world went dark,” he said.
Police and army personnel were also present at the scene, he said. After completing the legal procedures, he received his son’s body. The school later returned the child’s schoolbag and uniform.
Selim said he reviewed the school’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage with the principal’s help.
“It shows a bus leaving the campus, but there was no assistant on the bus. My son was probably playing at the time. As the bus took a left turn, my boy was crushed under the left wheel,” he said.
He questioned how such an incident could occur at an educational institution with around 20 buses and several thousand students.
“Such a big educational institution, around 20 buses and several thousand students. Such a great negligence cannot be accepted. The driver was driving inside the campus without an assistant, even though thousands of children are there. How was the driver driving without being careful even once? There is negligence on the part of the school authorities and the bus driver here,” he said.
Selim said he did not want to pursue a legal case because of the prospect of an autopsy, the time required to pursue the case and his work commitments. He also said he had no faith in the country’s legal system.
“My son’s body would have been cut open for an autopsy; there is the hassle of pursuing a case, I have a job, I lack time. Considering everything, I do not want to get entangled in legal trouble. Also, I have no faith in the country’s laws. So, I took my child’s body after giving a written statement,” he said.
However, he said he had demanded in the written statement that the school authorities investigate the incident and take disciplinary action against those involved.
