Rajshahi University student Chesi Tripura in ICU after truck hit, air ambulance kept ready
Rajshahi University student Chesi Tripura has been seriously injured after a truck hit the vehicle she was travelling in on her way back to campus. She has been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital with a serious head injury and internal bleeding. She is a student of the university's Department of Microbiology from the 2021-22 session.
The accident happened at around 6pm on Monday (19 October). Chesi was returning to campus by CNG-run auto-rickshaw from Baghmara in Rajshahi after attending a Puja invitation at a friend's house. On the way, a truck hit their CNG vehicle from behind and drove away.
Research Chakma, a student of the university's Department of Geology and Mining from the 2021-22 session who was with Chesi, described the incident. He said: 'Chesi and I had gone to a friend's house for a Puja invitation. On our way back to campus, a truck came from behind and hit our CNG and left. There were seven of us in the CNG in total. Only Chesi was injured.'
After the accident, Chesi Tripura was first taken to Durgapur Upazila Health Complex. After primary treatment there, she was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. When her physical condition later deteriorated, she was taken to the ICU.
Research Chakma added: 'After the accident she was taken to Durgapur Upazila Health Complex. The bleeding was somehow stopped there and we brought her to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. She suffered a serious injury to the right side of her head and there was internal bleeding. That is why she was quickly taken to the ICU.'
The serious injury to the right side of Chesi's head and the internal bleeding are now the doctors' main concern. She is being treated under close observation in the ICU, and every change in her condition is being monitored.
On hearing the news, the university's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr Md Faridul Islam, went to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital to see Chesi. He said: 'A very tragic accident has happened. As soon as we got the news we came to the medical. We have spoken here with the medical principal and the ICU chief, among others. Treatment is now under way.'
The Vice-Chancellor said a medical board would sit the next morning to decide on the next steps. Preparations have also been kept to take her to Dhaka if necessary. He said: 'Tomorrow morning a board will sit and decide what the next step will be. If they say to take her to Dhaka, we are ready for that too. We have also kept an air ambulance ready.'
The university administration said it is ready with whatever support is needed for Chesi's treatment. In the Vice-Chancellor's words, 'the university administration is ready with everything needed for her treatment' — an assurance that made the administration's position beside the injured student clear.
The fact that Chesi was the only one seriously injured among the seven passengers has also created deep concern among her classmates. No one could have imagined that a journey back to campus in good spirits after a Puja invitation would end in such an accident. Classmates are now waiting, at the hospital and on campus, for news of her recovery.
The truck hitting the vehicle and fleeing has also raised questions. Identifying the truck that hit the CNG-run auto-rickshaw from behind in the evening and left, and its driver, has now become important, although no detailed information on that matter was available by the time this report was written.
Everyone is now waiting for the medical board's decision. If the board advises taking her to Dhaka, she will be sent to the capital by air ambulance; if treatment continues at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, the main fight will remain in the ICU. Chesi Tripura's recovery and return to campus is now the only prayer of the university family.
