A murder in cold blood

In an act of horrendous cruelty, a bus driver yesterday ran a man over and killed him in the capital following an argument.

The dead, Mohammad Faruk, 40, was a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver.

According to witnesses, a Tetulia Paribahan bus, which runs on Mohammadpur-Mirpur-Abdullahpur route, hit Faruk's auto-rickshaw from behind on Mymensingh Road near Jasim Uddin intersection around 11:40am.

Abdul Majid, who was driving the bus, drove on until he had to stop at the red traffic light.

It was there Faruk caught up with him.

He parked his auto-rickshaw on the roadside and stood in front of the bus, asking for an explanation and demanding compensation from the bus driver for the damage to his three-wheeler, Faruk's brother Md Harun told The Daily Star.

"At one stage of the argument, Majid told my brother, 'Move away. What compensation? Move away now.' The traffic lights turned green right then and Majid then drove over Faruk," he said, citing witnesses.

Faruk got stuck under the wheels and was dragged for about 30 yards. He died on the spot.

Locals pursued then chased the bus and managed to catch driver Majid at the House Building intersection, more than a kilometre from the accident spot.

They later handed him over to police.

"He had left home around 7:00am for work. He had told his wife that he would return in the evening," said Harun as he was waiting in front of Uttara Pashchim Police Station to receive Faruk's body.

Harun filed a murder case against Majid, 25, with the police station last night. Police have seized the bus.

Majid is originally from Pabna and lives in Mirpur in Dhaka.

"I don't know what happened to me. I have no idea why I ran him over," Majid, who claimed to have a valid driving licence, told this correspondent while being taken to the police station.