Journalist killed as UNO’s SUV runs over his bike

A journalist named Sohel Ahmed Jiban, 36, has died after being run over by the government vehicle of an Upazila Nirbahi Officer. The accident took place in Ningoin area of Natore’s Singra upazila on Monday morning.

Deceased Sohel was Singra upazila correspondent of Dainik Duranta Sangbad, a local newspaper published from Bogura, and an assistant teacher of Shorkol Aagpara Bandar school and college. Sohel is the son of Abdul Jalil of the Singra municipality area.

Highway police and witnesses said an SUV (Natore-Gha-11-0032) carrying Naldanga UNO’s wife and teacher of Singra Gol-e-Afroj government college Manashi Datta alias Moumita was heading towards Singra on Natore-Bogura highway. The SUV ran over the motorbike journalist Sohel was driving.

As Sohel was critically injured, Manashi Datta left the scene boarding another vehicle. A witness named Solaiman said three persons including the driver and a woman were on board the SUV at the time of the accident. The women left the vehicle after the accident and the fire service men rescued the injured Sohel.

Singra Fire Service and Civil Defence officials rushed to the spot and took Sohel to Upazila Health Complex. As his condition deteriorated, Sohel was shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where he died at around 11:45am. His body was released without an autopsy at the request of his family members.

Naldanga UNO Sukhomoy Sarker and Singra UNO MM Samirul Islam visited the spot after the accident.

Sukhomoy admitted that his wife teaches at Singra government college and claimed she was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident. The UNO said he sent the vehicle to Singra for refuelling as there was a scarcity of fuel in Naldanga area.

Officer in charge of Jhalmalia Highway police’s officer in charge (OC) Rezwanul Islam said the SUV has been brought to the police station.