“Nadira’s whole world was completely occupied by her two sons. She had a dream to make her elder son a doctor, so that is why she always remained busy making him study.”
An emotion-choked Mizanur Rahman, Nadira’s husband, an employee of a hardware shop in the capital Dhaka, was wailing as he revealed the tragedy in front of the morgue of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Tuesday morning following the loss of his beloved wife Nadira Akter Popy,and their three-year- old son Md Yasin to BNP-Jamaat terrors who set three coaches of Mohanganj Express on fire near Tejgaon Railway Station area in the city Tuesday morning.
Mizan was living with family in a rented house in the city’s West Tejturi Bazar area, and working as manager of a hardware shop at Kawran Bazar in the city. His elder son Riyad Hossain Fahim is a student of class three at a local primary school. Fahim recently had been promoted to class four with a very good score. Nadira had so many dreams centered around her two cute babies—Fahim and Yasin. She always said that Fahim would be a renowned physician in future.
“We are a very poor family. So to be a doctor, our son needs to be very studious. My wife always remained busy taking care of our two sons,” Mizan continued in tears.
“She was always very active in fulfilling each and every need of our two sons,’’ the young father recalled his wife’s sweet memory in a very emotional tone.
After each final examination, they went to their village home to enjoy their annual vacation. This year, Nadia left Dhaka for Netrokona on December 3 with her two sons. Her brother Habibur Rahman also accompanied them.
“My wife, two sons and their maternal uncle were returning to Dhaka by train. I last talked to my wife after they got into the train. She told me they would get off the train at Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka,” he lamented.
“I don’t know why my all has been lost in such a way… To whom shall I seek justice? I shall not seek justice to anyone, anyone,” he said, adding that all he wanted was to get the bodies of his wife Nadira and his son Yasin without a postmortem.
Witness Habibur Rahman said, “ Some passengers got down from the train when the train arrived at Tejgaon railway station. Two passengers who were seated behind our seats also got down from the train.”
The fire broke out from our back seats immediately after the train started again towards Kamalapur Railway Station. Within minutes, the fire engulfed the whole compartment, he added.
Slain Nadira’s brother further said, “ I tried to get rid of the fire by taking Fahim with me. My sister Nadira was sitting in the next seat. Yasin was on her lap. Due to the unbearable smoke , I quickly jumped taking Fahim using another compartment. Later I tried to find Nadira and Yasin.”
After dousing the fire, the rescuers recovered the bodies of Nadira and Yasin, with Yasin still on her lap, the witness claimed.
At least two others passengers were also killed as BNP-Jamaat cadres allegedly set three coaches of the Mohanganj Express on fire near Tejgaon Railway Station area in the city.