He will come soon: all 70yr old Chand Miah says after son left him on Dhaka-Ctg highway
When passers-by in Bara Gobinda Pur station area of Cumilla’s Chandina Upazila inquired about him, he told them that he was waiting for his sons.
Chand Miah, 70, who is partially-paralysed, was being taken home by his son from a hospital in Dhaka.
Mid-way, on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, his son made a stop. He took Chand Miah, and his wheelchair, out of the car and left both next to the road.
His son then got in the car and drove away, leaving Chand Miah behind.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
For around a week, Chand Miah spent his time next to the highway.
His only possession was the dilapidated wheelchair.
The dust gathered on his hair and beard, both increasingly dishevelled over time.
When passers-by in Bara Gobinda Pur station area of Cumilla's Chandina Upazila inquired about him, he told them that he was waiting for his sons.
"He told me to sit here. He will come soon," he would reply.
Unable to move – with the paralysis already gripping his left arm and leg – he would remain, with some people giving him morsels of food to survive on.
On 8 October, Raihana Islam Runa, was on her way home when she spotted Chand Miah.
He instantly reminded her of her father who had passed away on 29 September.
"He was surrounded by many people. But looking at him, I kept thinking
about her father and couldn't contain my emotions," she said.
Speaking to Chand Miah, she learned how he had been dropped here on 6 October.
"I then contacted the Chandina police. No one was paying attention and that's when I approached some journalists about the matter," she said.
On Saturday, at 9:30pm, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Taposh Sheel came to know about the matter.
He reached the area half an hour later and heard the details from Chand Miah.
He learned that Chand Miah was a local of Noakhali. He had three sons and a daughter. All his sons had a job.
Taposh then took the old man to the upazila health complex and admitted him there.
"I am trying to trace his family members by verifying his name and address," Taposh said.
Regarding Chand Miah's health, upazila health officer Dr Arifur Rahman said, aside from the physical ailments, he had also suffered a mental shock from several days of neglect.
"We are monitoring to see if there are any more issues."
