A local leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was killed and two others injured in a road accident in Faridpur early Saturday, while travelling to the party’s national rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.

Maulana Abu Sayeed, 52, the Ameer of Dakop Upazila unit in Khulna, died on the spot when a speeding bus belonging to Royal Paribahan rammed into him at Bhanga Chowrasta intersection around 3:45 am, eyewitnesses and police said.

The accident occurred while Sayeed and others were adjusting a banner on their vehicle. 

The bus reportedly fled the scene after the collision.

Two Jamaat activists, Md Anisur Rahman and Md Iqbal Hossain, sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Faridpur Medical College Hospital. 

Sayeed was an assistant cleric at Chalna Billalia Alim Madrasa and is survived by his wife and four daughters. The funeral is expected to take place in Dakop after consultations between the family and party officials.

Faridpur’s Bhanga Police Station officer-in-charge Mohammad Ashraf Hossain confirmed the incident. “One person died in a road accident around 3 am, and two to three others were injured. The injured are receiving treatment,” he told reporters.

In a statement, Jamaat Secretary General Prof. Mia Golam Parwar expressed deep sorrow at the death of Maulana Sayeed. “He was devoted to the Islamic movement. We pray that Allah grants him the status of a martyr and Jannatul Firdaus,” he said.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami had called for a nationwide rally on Saturday to press for political and religious demands, with party activists and leaders travelling to the capital from various districts.

SMS/