A five-year-old boy, Jubair, died after being struck by a speeding "mixed van" (locally assembled engine van) at the Tin Matha intersection in Dhaperhat Union on Wednesday afternoon.
The accident occurred around 3:30 PM near Shah Azgar Ali Degree College in Hingarpara village. Eyewitnesses reported that Jubair was crossing the road when the van hit him. Bystanders rushed the critically injured child to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at 5:30 PM.
Jubair was the only child of Afizul, a resident of Hingarpara. His death has left the family and the local community in deep mourning.
Following the news of the child's death, angry residents gathered at the scene and set fire to materials on the road, blocking traffic for nearly an hour on the Sadullapur-Dhaperhat route.
The protesters blamed the accident on the unregulated loading and unloading of goods. At the time of the incident, cucumbers were reportedly being loaded onto a truck parked on the roadside, narrowing the passage and increasing the risk for pedestrians.
Immediate installation of permanent speed breakers at the three-way intersection. A ban on buying, selling, and loading goods on the roadside near educational institutions. Stricter traffic enforcement to protect students from nearby schools and colleges.
Dhaperhat Union Parishad Chairman Shahidul Islam Shipon, accompanied by SI Supad Haldar from the Dhaperhat Police Investigation Center, arrived at the scene to calm the situation.
The blockade was lifted after Chairman Shipon formally assured the community that construction of a permanent speed breaker would begin by 10:00 AM Thursday. However, residents warned of further highway blockades if the safety measures are not implemented promptly.
