The court has ordered two bus companies — state-owned BRTC and Swajan Paribahan — to pay Tk 10 million to the family of Rajib Hossain, who died after losing an arm in a race between buses operated by the companies.



The High Court’s interim order came on Tuesday after hearing petition over the Titumir College student’s death.
Twenty two-year-old Rajib, who worked part-time as a computer operator, was on his way to the college from his Jatrabarhi home when the accident occurred on the afternoon of Apr 3.
The photo of his severed hand stuck between the buses had shaken the nation.
Rajib died of the severe hand injuries sustained during the accident on Apr 17 while being treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Rajib, who had lost both his parents a few years ago, is survived by two school-going brothers.
On Apr 4, Supreme Court lawyer Ruhul Quddus Kajal filed a petition with the court, when it ordered the bus companies to bear Rajib’s medical expenses.
It also issued a rule why the bus operators will not be forced to pay Tk 10 million in damages.
After Tuesday’s hearing, the court ordered the bus companies to pay the amount to Rajib’s brothers.
Petitioner Kajal told Bangla Tribune that the court has ordered the bus operators to pay half of the amount within a month.
He said the fund has to be kept in a joint account with the Sonali Bank. Since Rajib’s brothers are minors, the account will be maintained by their aunt Jahanara Begum and government official Omar Faruq, a family friend from Rajib’s ancestral home.
The court has set Jun 25 for the next hearing on the matter.