Losing life to unsafe construction, Hasan returns home in coffin this Eid

On an auspicious night for the Muslims, Mohammad Hasan, 46, a Mohammadpur resident was on his way to his nearby mosque, to offer Shab-e-Qadr prayers. 

The pedestrian was killed when a column of an under-construction building fell on his head at Sat Masjid Housing main road in the capital's Mohammadpur area on Saturday evening. 

Shafiur Rahman, a neighbour of the deceased, said, "A column of an under-construction building of Mohammadpur Sat Masjid Housing fell on his head and he was seriously injured.

"We took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where the doctor declared him dead."

In the primary investigation, it was found that the pedestrian died due to gross negligence in the construction work of the building. There was no security fence in the construction work which is still ongoing next to the busiest main road in the residential area.

A pharmaceutical executive by profession, Mohammad Hasan, 46, was living with his family in the same area.

At the deceased Hasan's home, TBS found his ailing mother Masuma Khatun, 82. She has been bedridden for the last decade due to paralysis. Hasan was her only remaining child to take care of her.  

Selim, a brother-in-law of the deceased, said Hasan is the son of Fazal Ahmed of Juidandi village in Chattogram's Anwara area. Among the 12 siblings, 11 have already died at various times, and Hasan was the only survivor. His father died a long time ago. He lived in a rented house on Road No. 7 of Sat Masjid Housing with his ailing mother. 

Selim said Hasan was supposed to go home for the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday with his sons and daughters. "He called me yesterday afternoon and said he would take everyone home this Eid. But I never thought he would go home in the coffin." 

Mahim, son of the deceased, said they are three siblings. Elder brother Fahim is waiting for his SSC exam results from a school in Mohammadpur. Mahim is in the tenth standard at the same school. Grieved and shattered at his father's untimely death, Mahim did not want to say any more words.  

Meanwhile, Selim filed a case over the death. 

Mohammadpur police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mahfuzur Rahman said a case has been registered under the charges of death by negligence. In the case, 13 people have been named and 40 to 50 unknown people have also been made accused. One arrest has been made.

The post-mortem examination has been conducted at the Dhaka Medical College morgue. Hasan will be laid to rest at his family graveyard in Chattogram's Anwara and the body reached his home this afternoon. 

Building lacks safety net 

Locals said the under-construction building has 28 owners, including a police inspector. Under his supervision, the construction work was going on for the last three months. Despite being located on the side of a busy road; no safety net was provided on the site. 

"In addition to the absence of a safety net, the under-construction building does not have any signboard either that would inform pedestrians about the construction taking place there. Construction materials are placed on the road. Construction machinery is scattered around," a pedestrian, wishing not to be named, told The Business Standard at the scene on Sunday afternoon.

"The work is still going on even the day after the tragic death," he added.

The building, located on the bank of the Ramchandrapur Canal in Mohammadpur, is being constructed by a company named Irada Builders Ltd. There are 28 owners of the land. 

Locals said that a police inspector Hafizur Rahman used to oversee the construction work. He is the former OC of Kafrul police station, currently employed at the detective branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. 

However, Inspector Hafizur denied that he owns any share or land in the under-construction building or in the Irada Builders. "I do not own any land here. I have heard that some of my relatives have bought shares in this land," he said.