Tk9 lakh settlement in Baridhara car crash

A settlement has been reached between the families of teenager Ajan Ali Sharif, who was allegedly behind the wheel of a private car, and construction worker Mehedi Hasan Mim, who was run over and killed on a footpath in the capital’s Baridhara area.

Under the settlement, Tk 9 lakh has been paid to Mehedi’s family. Of the amount, Tk 1 lakh was given for his burial and funeral expenses, while Tk 8 lakh was provided considering the future of his elderly parents, said Ajan’s lawyer Advocate Md Alamgir Hossain.

The teenager was produced before Dhaka Children’s Court-8 on Thursday. After a hearing, Judge Md Abdul Muktadir rejected his bail petition and ordered that he be sent to a correctional home.

However, the investigating officer said the settlement would not affect the ongoing investigation into the case.

SI Md Arefin Islam of Gulshan Police Station, the investigating officer, said CCTV footage from the accident scene and nearby areas showed the teenager getting out of the private car through the driver’s-side door immediately after the incident.

The investigation has also found preliminary evidence of his involvement, the officer said, adding that the teenager was kept in custody for the sake of a proper investigation.

Gulshan police produced the teenager before the court, while Advocate Alamgir Hossain sought his bail.
The bail petition claimed that the teenager had been sitting in the seat beside the driver.

It also said Mehedi was hearing- and speech-impaired and could not move away quickly despite the car horn being sounded.

Mehedi’s elder brother, Moktadir Islam, filed a case under the Road Transport Act with Gulshan Police Station on Wednesday.

According to the case statement, Mehedi was run over by a private car being driven recklessly. A man named Akash Mark was named as the driver in the First Information Report.

The accident occurred on Tuesday evening on Road No. 1 in the Baridhara Diplomatic Zone. The speeding car mounted the footpath and hit Mehedi, who was sitting there, before crashing into two lamp posts.

Passers-by and construction workers lifted the car and rescued Mehedi. Police took him to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Police arrested the teenager on Wednesday evening following criticism over the incident.