State minister, wife and pedestrian injured as car veers off road in Bogura

A government vehicle carrying State Minister for Public Administration and Food Abdul Bari lost control and plunged into a paddy field beside the road in Shibganj, Bogura.

The accident occurred at around 8:45 am today, Friday, on the Joypurhat–Mokamtala regional highway in the Gopinathpur area near Kichak Bazar in the upazila.

The state minister and his wife, Nazma Ara Begum, were injured in the accident. They received treatment at the 400-bed Joypurhat General Hospital.

A pedestrian, Firoza Begum, 60, was also injured after being hit by the vehicle. She was admitted to TMSS Medical College Hospital in Bogura. Firoza Begum is the wife of late Nizam Uddin of Gopinathpur village.

According to witnesses and police sources, State Minister Abdul Bari was travelling by government vehicle from Dhaka to Kalai upazila in his constituency, Joypurhat. His wife was also in the vehicle. A police security vehicle was accompanying them.

After reaching the Gopinathpur area near Kichak Bazar, the security vehicle went ahead. Shortly afterwards, Firoza Begum was trying to cross the highway from one side to the other. At one point, she came in front of the minister’s vehicle. The driver then lost control and the vehicle veered off the road into the adjacent paddy field.

The minister’s wife, Nazma Ara Begum, told Prothom Alo, “Just after the police vehicle passed, a female pedestrian suddenly tried to cross the highway and came in front of our vehicle. The driver lost control while trying to avoid her. The vehicle then went off the road into the paddy field. Both the state minister and I were injured. We sustained injuries to several parts of our bodies.”

Shibganj police station officer-in-charge (OC) Shahinuzzaman told Prothom Alo that the state minister and his wife had been sent to Joypurhat in another vehicle. Efforts were underway to recover the accident-damaged vehicle.