Man dies mourning son who was among the 7 killed on a ship in Chandpur

Daud Molla from Magura was the father of ship murder victim Sojibul Islam. Their deaths leave the family devastated

Sojibul Islam was one of the seven workers gruesomely killed on board a ship in the Meghna River in Chandpur. When his father Daud Molla heard the news, he fell sick and died.

Daud passed away around 11:45pm on Thursday at his home in Palashbaria Union in Magura’s Mohammadpur Upazila, according to Abdur Rahman, chief of Mohammadpur Police Station.

Locals are mourning the sad demise of both father and son.

Sojibul's uncle, Ahad Sardar, said that Daud had not stopped crying since he heard of his son’s death. He took no consolation from the comforting words of his relatives. At one point in his mourning, he fell sick and died at home.

Sojibul has been working on ships in different posts for the last five years. Recently, he sat for an exam for promotion and was awaiting his results.

He signed on as a greaser on the MV Al Bakhera while he waited.

"He sat for the exam in hopes of getting a better job on a big ship and earning more. He came home and helped us harvest only two weeks ago," said Ahad Sardar.

“Before going to work on the ship, he said it would be better to work on a smaller ship to earn something while waiting for his results. But now, it is all over."

Locals said many residents of the unions near Mohammadpur and Narail work on ships. Another victim of the killings on the same ship hailed from the same union. He was 16-year-old Majidul Islam, the son of Anisur Rahman from Char Jashobantpur.

A ninth grader at the Jhama Barkatul Ulum Fazil Degree Madrasa, he took a job on the ship during his school vacation.

In October 2022, four people from Palashbari Union died when the MV Sultan Sanjana was shipwrecked.

On Monday, five bodies were recovered from aboard the MV Al Bakhera on the Meghna River in Chandpur.

Three other workers on the ship were rescued in critical condition. Two of them later died in hospital care.

On Tuesday, Md Mahbub Morshed filed a case with Haimchar Police Station on behalf of the owners of the ship. Ten unidentified people were named in the case.

The bodies of seven victims were handed over to their families after an autopsy at Chandpur Sadar Hospital.

The dead include master Md Kibria, lashkar Sheikh Shobuj, 35, steerman Aminul Munshi, 50, engine driver Md Salahuddin, 40, lashkar Majedul, 16, lashkar Sojibul, 26, and the ship’s cook Rana, 20.

Injured steerman Jewel is undergoing treatment at Dhaka College Hospital.

The district administration gave Tk 20,000 to each victim’s family, while the River Police provided an additional Tk 10,000.

Three separate investigation committees have been formed by the Ministry of Industries, district administration and police over the incident.

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested a suspect over the incident on Tuesday.

The arrestee, Akash Mondal aka Irfan, killed the ship’s captain over a personal grudge and then attacked the seven others on the ship to cover up his crime, the elite force said.

Later on Wednesday, a court remanded Irfan to police custody for seven days of questioning.