Mother blocks Sylhet-Dhaka highway with son’s body, demands justice

In a heart-wrenching protest, a grieving mother blocked the Sylhet-Dhaka highway on Tuesday evening with her son’s body, demanding justice and the execution of his alleged killers.

Parul Begum, 55, mother of 16-year-old Robiul Islam Nayeem, who went missing on July 26, staged the protest along with family members and hundreds of locals in front of Osmaninagar Police Station in Sylhet.

The demonstration began around 5:30 pm and continued till 7:00 pm, halting traffic for over an hour and a half in both directions, causing suffering to long-distance commuters as hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on the highway, reports UNB.

Police recovered Robiul’s body on Sunday, last from a ditch near Bormachal railway station in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar district.

Following intervention from local administration and political leaders, the protesters agreed to withdraw the blockade after receiving assurances that quick legal action would be taken in connection with the murder.

Officer-in-charge (OC) of Osmaninagar Police Station Md Monayem Miah said the main suspect, restaurant owner Bulbul Miah, is now in police custody.

A case was filed against him in Kulaura Police Station, he said.

Robiul, the second son of Konai Mia from Gadiyachor village in Osmaninagar, worked night shifts at Bogura Restaurant in Brahmangram, located along the Sylhet-Dhaka highway.

He went missing from work on July 26. After a desperate search, the family filed a general diary with Osmaninagar police.

His elder brother Quayum alleged that Bulbul murdered his younger brother and demanded his execution.