Baby born aboard moving bus in Mithapukur

A woman gave birth to a baby boy aboard a moving bus travelling from Dhaka to Burimari in Lalmonirhat, transforming an unforeseen emergency into a moment of jubilation for passengers, while the bus operator rewarded the newborn with free travel for life.

Abida Begum, 28, went into labour while the Anas Enterprise bus was passing through Mithapukur in Rangpur on Wednesday, and, with the assistance of a fellow passenger who was a midwife, she delivered the child on board. Both mother and newborn were reported to be in good health. Moreover, bus supervisor Majnu Mia informed the operator after the delivery and arranged for sweets to be distributed among the passengers, thereby turning an anxious journey into a celebration.

Subsequently, Anas Enterprise owner Alhaj Dipu announced that the newborn would be entitled to free travel on the company's buses for life, while the mother and child would enjoy free travel until the boy reaches adulthood. In addition, the company sent gifts to the family, including a cradle, baby bed, mosquito net and toiletries, and the family named the infant Anas Hasan in the operator's honour.

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According to relatives, Abida had been travelling with her parents and a nephew from Dhaka's Jirani area to their ancestral home in Ramaniganj village of Hatibandha upazila, Lalmonirhat, after doctors had estimated that roughly 20 days remained before delivery. Meanwhile, local Union Parishad Chairman Fazal Rahman Khokon said he had learned of the incident through a ward member and confirmed that mother and baby were doing well. Consequently, the unusual birth has drawn local residents to the family home, eager to catch a glimpse of the newest and perhaps most widely travelled arrival in the village.