RAB arrests cleaner over death of Notre Dame student

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested Harun Mia, a cleaner sacked by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), over the death of Notre Dame College student Nayeem Hasan, who was run over by a city corporation garbage truck.

Harun was arrested in the capital's Jatrabari on Friday, according to RAB-3 officer Farzana Haque, reports bdnews24.com.

“Details about the matter will be revealed later in a media briefing,” she said.

Police arrested Rasel Khan, the man behind the wheel at the time of the accident, on Wednesday. A court later placed him on a three-day remand in a case over the incident.

Nayeem’s death sparked an uproar among his peers as they took to the streets for the second to demand justice on Thursday.

Law enforcers initially said Harun was the truck's assigned driver, with Rasel acting as his proxy. But city corporation officials later said Rasel was not employed by the authority.

The DSCC on Thursday suspended the truck's actual designated driver Iran Mia and dismissed two cleaners, including Harun, in connection with the accident.

The dismissal order also shed light on a series of irregularities that led to Nayeem's death.

According to the order, Iran had handed over the key to the truck to Harun. The cleaner in turn put Rasel in charge of the vehicle. Another DSCC cleaner, Abdur Razzak, was also in the truck during the accident.

The city corporation has since launched a probe into the matter, with Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh vowing to bring all those involved in the accident to justice.

Speaking to protesters on the Nagar Bhaban premises on Thursday, he said, "The person who was supposed to drive the truck did not fulfil his responsibility and hired another driver instead.

"Both of them will be punished. We have suspended the driver and we will ensure the maximum punishment for the man who was driving the vehicle.”