Jabir’s Tk 60 lakh ambulance is destroyed after an accident while carrying drugs

The Jahangirnagar University (JAB) ambulance has been lying unused for almost one and a half years. It has been falling ever since a rickshaw puller was run over while transporting drugs in an ambulance on the occasion of a reunion event at the university’s Maulana Bhasani Hall. The ambulance has gradually become unusable.

It has been learned that on January 26 last year, the university ambulance (Dhaka Metro Ch 71-4545) hit an auto-rickshaw while bringing drugs to the reunion ceremony of Maulana Bhasani Hall of the University on Dhaka-Aricha highway. An autorickshaw driver named Abdul Quddus (30) was killed. Also, a pregnant woman in the autorickshaw was seriously injured. Her unborn child died. Since this incident, the ambulance worth Tk 60 lakh bought by the university with its own funds has been lying abandoned.

Asked why the damaged ambulance is not being repaired, Aulad Hesen, acting teacher of the transport office, said that there is a case in the name of the ambulance. If you take it out on the street, the police will arrest you. The police have already come twice to take the ambulance. Being within the university, we did not give. But I can’t do anything if I get caught from the road.

The chief medical officer of the university Dr. Md. Shamchur Rahman said that on the day of the incident, when the ambulance was taken, one person was shown as a patient. The medical officer then gave him an ambulance on the recommendation of the hall provost.

Ambulance 2

He also said that a new committee has been formed to investigate this incident. But there is no witness. Now they are trying to put the blame on the driver. The driver is not at fault. He did what he was told.

Branch Chhatra League Deputy Secretary Rifat Chowdhury and Chhatra League worker Emon were in the ambulance during the drug transport. Rifat Chowdhury was injured in the accident and was undergoing treatment at Enam Medical.
When asked whether any action has been taken against BCL leaders involved in drug trafficking, BCL president Aktaruzzaman Sohel said, “I am not aware of this.”

Meanwhile, the vice-chancellor gave a verbal assurance of Tk 10 lakh compensation to the affected families in the face of students’ agitation after this incident. However, the brother of the woman affected by the accident claimed that he did not receive any compensation despite the assurance.

He said that he had promised to compensate us. I gave the papers for this. I was then told that the matter has been included in the syndicate’s agenda. But after that I didn’t find anything.

Several attempts were made to contact the Vice-Chancellor on mobile phone to inquire about repairing the damaged ambulance and compensation to the affected families, but he did not respond.