Stone hurled at moving train leaves student with facial fracture, ‘little hope’ of restoring sight

His father says doctors have estimated surgery will cost Tk 150,000, which the family has yet to arrange

A Bangladesh Open University (BOU) student is “unlikely” to regain sight in his right eye after a stone hurled at a moving train fractured the bone beneath it, his father said, citing doctors.

Sabbir Hossain, 22, is being treated at the National Institute of ENT in Dhaka.

Sabbir is a first-year higher secondary student at BOU and hails from Keshabpur village in Joypurhat's Akkelpur Upazila.

The incident occurred around 4:30pm on Tuesday when the Drutojan Express, travelling from Panchagarh to Dhaka, reached Sirajganj.

Someone threw a stone at the moving train, hitting Sabbir in his right eye.

He was taken off the train at Jamtoil Railway Station immediately after the attack.

After receiving first aid there, he was transferred to the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital in Dhaka before being moved to the ENT institute.

Quoting doctors, Sabbir's father Dulal Hossain said: "There is no chance of restoring the vision in my son's right eye. The bone beneath the eye has been fractured. He was transferred from the eye hospital to the ENT institute for surgery."

Dulal said the operation would cost around Tk 150,000.

"We could not arrange that amount in a single day Wednesday. If we can manage everything by (Thursday), the operation will be carried out," he said.

Sabbir is the youngest of three siblings.

His father works in the security department of a private organisation, while his elder brother is employed by a foreign company.