Desk Report,
“If the headmistress had been there, I might have become a corpse one day.”
‘I have been in charge of this college for two and a half years. Sometimes, during the holidays, I don’t go out. I stand on the veranda, walk, watch the teachers, officials and employees perform their duties, and see the students. That day, the headmistress called me and said that at 1 pm, she would interview two new teachers. I went out at 1:04 pm and went there. And between 1:12 and 1:13 pm, the accident happened. Otherwise, I might have been a dead body too.’
“If the headmistress had been there, I might have become a corpse one day.”
On Saturday morning, the authorities organized a condolence and prayer program at Milestone School and College in Diyabari, Uttara, for the forgiveness of the souls of those who died in the warplane crash and for the speedy recovery of those injured. Principal Captain (retd.) Jahangir Alam spoke in English. The principal said, ‘I pray for the forgiveness of the souls of the children who left us. If this accident had happened at 1:4-5, how many more parents would have lost their children; because, it takes about 10 minutes for the children to get out after the school holidays.’
At this time, the principal recalled the role of the teachers and staff in the rescue operation. He said, ‘I sincerely respect your pain, your pain. If anyone feels that even a little bit is due to negligence, the responsibility is mine alone and no one else. You can judge whatever you want.’
At the event, the father of Zarif Hasan, a seventh-grade English medium student of Milestone School, was requested to say something. Father Habibur Rahman said, ‘That day he didn’t want to come to school. His mother told him.’ He also said, ‘My son was very agile. He was very friendly.’ Masuka Begum, an assistant teacher of the school’s Bengali medium, was also killed in the warplane crash. 85 percent of her body was burned. Colleagues said that she could have run out of the room if she wanted. But she did not leave the room, leaving the children behind.
Masuka’s brother-in-law Khalilur Rahman said, “We heard about the plane crash from Brahmanbaria. We immediately tried to contact Masuka. But we could not find her. We searched for her even after coming to school in Dhaka. Even then we could not find her. Later, she was found in the hospital.”
At the beginning of the condolence and prayer program, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the deceased. Later, the principal of Bangla medium, Khadija Akhter, spoke. At the end, prayers were offered in memory of the deceased. The program was moderated by the college’s English teacher, Nusrat Alam.
