Trolley Driver Killed in Phulbari Locals Block Road for Speed Breakers

A trolley driver was killed after his vehicle overturned in Phulbari upazila on Thursday morning. The incident sparked a one-hour road blockade by local residents demanding the installation of speed breakers at the accident-prone site.

The deceased, Md. Russell Sonar (35), was the son of Jahangir Sonar from Badarganj upazila, Rangpur.

The accident occurred around 9:00 am at the Muktarpur three-road intersection on the Madilahat-Phulbari road. Police and witnesses said Russell was driving a sand-laden trolley toward Desma. While attempting to pass a van at the intersection, he lost control and the vehicle plunged into a roadside ditch, crushing him underneath. He died on the spot.

Following the accident, angry locals blocked the road, citing the intersection's history of high-speed traffic and lack of warning signs. The blockade was lifted after an hour when Phulbari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ahmed Hasan visited the scene and assured residents that speed breakers would be installed promptly.

Phulbari Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Latif Shah confirmed that the body was handed over to the family without an autopsy following an initial probe. A case under the Road Transport Act is currently being processed.