Sreemangal Madrasa Teacher Found Unconscious Under Bridge Dies on Way to Hospital; Family Demands Probe Into Mystery
The mysterious death of a madrasa teacher from Sreemangal in Moulvibazar has caused a stir across the area. Maulana Shah Moniruzzaman Jasim, a teacher at Jameya Lutfia Anwarul Ulum Hamid Nagar Baruna Madrasa in Sreemangal, has died. His family alleges that criminals drugged him and left him beneath the Bhairab-Ashuganj bridge. He was rescued in critical condition and admitted to hospital, but died while undergoing treatment.
His nephew, Mustakim Al Muntaz Talukdar, confirmed the death at 10pm on Saturday. Jasim was the son of Abdul Wahid of Majdihi in Bhairabganj Bazar, Kalapur Union, Sreemangal Upazila. He was the father of four daughters and had taught at Baruna Madrasa for a long time. His death has cast a shadow of grief over his family, colleagues and students.
According to family sources, Jasim lived at a home in the Bhairab Bazar area of Sreemangal Upazila and had been missing since Friday afternoon. His relatives initially assumed he was at the madrasa, but as time passed there was no trace of him. How he travelled from Moulvibazar to the Bhairab-Ashuganj area remains a mystery even to his family.
The family believes that during that time, unknown persons took him somewhere, rendered him unconscious and left him in a deserted area beneath the Bhairab-Ashuganj bridge. No visible bloody injury or sign of physical torture was found on his body. The initial assumption is therefore that he may have been drugged or sprayed with an anaesthetic substance, although nothing has yet been confirmed.
The incident first came to light through several local young men. They found Maulana Jasim lying unconscious and in critical condition and quickly admitted him to a hospital in Bhairab. Their humane response to a stranger ultimately opened the way to identifying him, even though he could not be saved in the end.
Social media also played a role in bringing the case to light. Local BNP leader and Union Parishad chairman candidate Ebadur Rahman Moshahid posted a video on Facebook showing the critically ill teacher under treatment in hospital. Following that video, family members contacted the rescuers and learned the details. His nephew said the family first learned of the matter from the Facebook video.
As soon as they heard the news, Baruna Madrasa teacher Maulana Ahmad Zubayer Jewel, along with family members and relatives, rushed to Bhairab and confirmed his identity at the hospital. A decision was taken to move him to another hospital for better treatment, but he died inside the vehicle on the way, and that final attempt at advanced care never succeeded.
The biggest questions surrounding the death concern distance and time. The Bhairab-Ashuganj bridge area is a long way from Sreemangal. What exactly happened between his disappearance on Friday afternoon and his discovery unconscious beneath the bridge, who took him there, and why, remain unanswered. People who knew him have demanded an investigation to uncover the true cause.
According to his nephew, the family had assumed he was at the madrasa even though he had been missing since Friday, and they first learned what had happened from the Facebook video at noon. He said Jasim died while being taken from the Bhairab hospital to another hospital for better treatment. The family account clarifies the timeline but leaves the central questions of the mystery unresolved.
The bereaved family and local residents have demanded a proper and intensive investigation. They want the true cause uncovered, those responsible identified quickly, and exemplary punishment imposed. The death of a teacher who leaves behind four daughters has created concern about safety alongside grief in the area. It now remains to be seen how clearly an investigation can reconstruct the events between Friday afternoon and Saturday.
