State Minister Abdul Bari injured in Bogura road crash; pedestrian killed

State Minister for Public Administration and Food Md Abdul Bari and his wife were injured and an elderly speech-impaired pedestrian was killed Friday morning, when the minister's car veered off the road and crashed into a paddy field in Bogura's Shibganj upazila.

The deceased pedestrian was identified as Firoza Begum, 62, wife of the late Nizam Uddin of Gopinathpur village in Shibganj. She passed away around noon while undergoing treatment at TMSS Medical College Hospital in Bogra.

According to police and locals, the accident occurred on the Joypurhat-Mokamtala regional highway in the Gopinathpur area. The state minister was heading to Joypurhat from Dhaka for a two-day official visit. As his protocol vehicle went ahead, Firoza Begum suddenly stepped onto the road. The driver lost control while attempting to avoid hitting her, but it was too late and the vehicle plunged into the paddy field.

The state minister and his wife, Nazma Ara Begum, were initially rushed to the Joypurhat 400-bed General Hospital. The hospital’s superintendent, Dr. Sardar Rashed Mobarak, said Bari did not sustain any fractures. 

"He suffered a soft tissue injury in his right leg alongside minor injuries to his hand, shoulder and neck," Mobarak said, adding that Bari's leg was placed in a short plaster cast. His wife did not sustain any major injuries. Bari was later transferred to Square Hospital in Dhaka for advanced medical care.

Md. Al-Mamun Miah, Joypurhat District Commissioner, said the local administration is maintaining contact with the Shibganj upazila executive officer to ensure necessary administrative assistance.