The bodies of two Bangladeshi nationals, who were killed after being hit by a Mercedes at the Loudon Street-Theatre Road intersection early on Saturday, were taken to Bangladesh by road through the Benapole border on Sunday morning.
The bodies of Kazi Md Mainul Alam, 36, a manager with Grameenphone, and Farhana Islam Tania, 28, an assistant vice-president at City Bank, Bangladesh, were taken in two separate hearses from Peace World, the mortuary in Topsia.
Kazi Mohammad Shafi Rahamatullah, 36, who survived the accident and is Mainul’s cousin, accompanied the hearses that crossed the border at 8.30am, said an official of the deputy high commission of Bangladesh in Calcutta.
A friend of Rahamatullah, who had come to India from Bangladesh on a separate trip, accompanied the hearses, he said.
“The hearses started from Calcutta at 2am. It reached the border around 7.30am. It crossed the Petrapole border and entered Benapole at 8.30am. From Benapole, the hearses headed to the ancestral homes of the deceased,” said Mohammad Bashir Uddin, counsellor (consular) at the deputy high commission of Bangladesh.
Farhana Islam Tania and (right) Mainul Alam, in pictures taken from their passports
The border remains open from 6am to 6pm.
Bashir Uddin said the vehicle carrying the body of Mainul went to his ancestral home in Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah district.
“The other vehicle headed for Tania’s home district of Kushthia,” he said.
The bodies were laid to rest after namaz at 1pm.
The three had arrived in Calcutta by road on Wednesday. They were to take the same route to return home on Sunday. They had planned to visit Calcutta as their offices were closed for Id.
Apart from their family members, colleagues of Mainul and Tania had gathered at the respective places for the last rites, said an official of the deputy high commission.
An official of the deputy high commission told Metro that Calcutta police had informed them at looking into the possibility of giving compensation to the victims.
“The talks, however, did not progress as police officers got preoccupied with nabbing the offender. The families have yet to make any appeal seeking compensation. We will look into the issue once the commission office reopens on Monday,” said the official.
Mainul is survived by his five-year-old son, wife, brother and parents. Tania has left behind her sister and parents.