Ijtema begins

A total of six participants died on the Biswa Ijtema ground in the last three days due to old age complications, cardiac arrest, and respiratory problems.

Three of them died yesterday morning, reports UNB.

They are Matiur Rahman, 55, from Jamalpur; Ekhlas Mia, 70, from Netrokona; and Shah Alam, 60, from Bhola.

Another participant, Abdus Sattar, 70, from Netrokona, died on Thursday and two others—Yunus Miah, 60, from Brahmanbaria and Md Zaman, 40, from Chapainawabganj—died on Wednesday.

Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Ibrahim Khan confirmed the deaths, UNB said.

Meanwhile, a policeman was killed and another one was injured in a road accident on their way to perform duties at Ijtema ground yesterday morning.

The deceased is Md Hasanuzzaman, 30, assistant sub-inspector of Manikganj District Court, who was posted at the Ijtema ground.

Police said Hasanuzzaman, along with another police sub-inspector, Amir Hamza, was going to the Ijtema ground on a motorbike.

When they reached the Tongi Milgate area on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway around 7:00am, a bus rear-ended the motorbike. The duo was thrown off the motorbike and suffered critical injuries.

Police rushed to the spot and took them to Tongi Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital. They were later sent to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in Dhaka.

Hasanuzzaman succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment there, said Mostafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Tongi East Police Station.

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