[🇧🇩] Those who have laid down their lives to free Bangladesh

[Saif]

‘No one can fling down a living person this way’

The incident took place near the Pakija Model Mosque centering the movement for quota reform in government jobs on 18 July

en.prothomalo.com

‘No one can fling down a living person this way’
Mansura Hossain
Updated: 15 Aug 2024, 14: 02

Police throw body of Yeamin with utter disrespect Screengrab of videos

The person was flung down to the ground from an armoured vehicle of the police. He lay inert near the wheels of the armoured vehicle. Afterwards, a member of police got down from the vehicle and dragged him with one hand to one side, leaving him on the road. Later, several policemen pulled him aside and threw on the other side of the road divider.

The incident took place near the Pakiza Model Mosque centering the movement for quota reform in government jobs on 18 July.

The person who was thrown on the road is Shaik Ashhabul Yeamin. He is a fourth year student at the computer science and engineering department of Mirpur Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). He would stay at Osmani Hall of MIST. His house is at Bank Town residential area in Savar. His family and friends would call him Yeamin.

Prothom Alo talked to Yeamin's father Md Mohiuddin at his residence in Bank Town residential area in Savar on Tuesday.

He said, "No one can fling down a living person in this way. I don't seek justice from anyone. I have not filed any GD. Postmortem of the body of my son was not conducted. I only sought justice from almighty Allah. Pray so that we can have patience."

The video of Yeamin flung down in this way spread on Facebook. Mohiuddin saw the video two days after of the incident. However, the video is not available on Facebook but many downloaded the video.

Shaik Ashhabul Yeamin Collected

Mohiuddin said many people posted various statements about Yeamin after his death. He wants everyone to know the real information about his son.

Yeamin was born on 12 December 2001. He passed SSC and HSC from Cantonment School and College in Savar. He preserved all certificates including HSC, SSC and Bangladesh Chemistry Olympiad-Math Olympiad and other documents. Fathre Mohiuddin was emotionally showing all the certificates. Yeamin's mother Nasrin Sultana is a housewife. Sister Shaik Ashhabul Jannat studies at Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University.

Mother and sister were reluctant to talk about Yeamin.

Yeamin was buried at Bank Town residential area in Savar. Mother Nasrin Sultana has planted a tulsi tree and flower plants there. A banner with a portrait of Yeamin was hung at the local Shaheed Minar. Others including leaders of political parties are paying tributes with flowers. Watching the video of my son being brutally killed is painful, says Mohiuddun.

Mohiuddin has taken voluntary retirement from a private bank. He said the death of a child means grief till death.

Shaik Ashhabul Yeamin with his parents and sister Collected

Yeamin's father alleged after his son was brutally killed by police, a probe was made into their political affiliation.

He said, "I don't want anyone to make my son a pawn for a political party. My son was politically conscious. I am also politically conscious. However, I am not involved in any politics. My son got chance in BUET and Rangpur Medical. But he didn't get into admission. He studied at Cantonment School and College in Savar. Later, he got admitted to MIST. There is no scope to do politics in these two institutions."

What happened that day
Mohiuddin said the family members and many others watched the video on Facebook. But they don’t know in detail what actually happened that day. They heard in bits and pieces about the incidents from Yeamin’s friends.

Yeamin came home from his MIST hall on 17 July morning. He had a heated argument with the hall authorities over their directives to close the dormitory. His father came to know about the incident from his write-up after his death.

Mohiuddin prays for the departed soul of his son at his grave Prothom Alo

Mohiuddin was going out on 18 July morning. Around 10:30 am, Yeamin came to him and asked if he knew anyone at any hospital in the Mirpur area where he could admit his friends.

Mohiddin told his son that he did not know anyone in any hospital in Mirpur. But the injured could be taken to a hospital at Technical intersection. His son was angry with him. Those were the last sentences the father and son exchanged.

Mohiuddin watches his son's transcripts Prothom Alo

The Savar area was in turmoil on 18 July due to the movement. Yeamin left the home saying he was going to see his friends. Later, everyone in the house started calling him but he did not answer the phone.

Around 3:00 pm, a person phoned them and asked them to go to Enam Medical College. “I thought maybe my son was injured. Along with my wife, I reached the hospital.

A person there asked us to go to the OT when we told our son’s name. We were asked to go to the ground floor from the OT. A female physician hugged Yeamin’s mother there. Even at that moment we did not think our son had died,” Mohiuddin recounted to Prothom Alo.

Yamin Chattar

That physician led them in front of a locked room where several students were gathering. When she unlocked the door, we saw Yeamin lying on a stretcher.

“They informed us that our son passed away even before reaching the hospital,” he added.

‘Yeamin was courageous’
Mohiuddin informed Prothom Alo that the autopsy of Yeamin’s body was not done due to a family decision. He said they wanted to take the body home quickly as students were chanting outside; some people of the hospital were afraid of handing over the body as he died in police firing, some even obstructed us to take the body. The students were thinking of bringing out a procession with Yeamin’s body. At that time, we brought the body home by ambulance quickly with the help of one of our son’s friends.

Graffiti in memory of Yeamin Collected

Mohiuddin said they wanted to bury him in the village home in Kushtia but a relative from there phoned him to say that the local police station told them that the burial is not possible without any order. The country’s situation also did not support us to go to Kushtia from Dhaka. We were told from Savar police station that an autopsy report is required to bury him in Savar. Later, we discussed the matter with a police officer friend who said there won’t be any problem if we bury him at the family graveyard. That is why we buried our son in the graveyard of this colony.

Local people pay respect to Yeamin Collected

Yeamin was meritorious and was involved with debate competitions. He was the vice-president of the debating club at MIST. He would watch ‘Tom and Jerry’ at his leisure periods, said his father.

Mohiuddin said he thought about opening a foundation in the name of his father but now he wants to name the foundation after his son. Any donation to the foundation will be used for the families of the persons who died or people who sustained injuries in the student movement.

When this correspondent was preparing to leave, Mohiuddin showed him a photograph of the body of Yeamin and said, “He was shot at point blank range. Look at the marks of the bullet at the left side of his chest. Then he was flung down from the APC.”

(Samsuzzaman from Savar helped in preparing this report)​

 

[Saif]

Victims of autocrats: From Hamza to Abu Sayed

The comparable patterns in the behaviour of Bashar al-Assad and Sheikh Hasina are staggering.

www.thedailystar.net

Victims of autocrats: From Hamza to Abu Sayed

Visual: Star

During one of my visits to Bangladesh about 10 years ago, I used the Upakul Express to go to Dhaka from Brahmanbaria. Upon boarding the train, I found myself in the midst of a political discussion that primarily focused on Sheikh Hasina's rule in Bangladesh. The conversation was dominated by a man who identified himself as a rural Awami League leader from Akhaura. He seemed to have been gifted with self-confidence, energy, and enthusiasm. With anecdotes and remarkable linguistic dexterity, he captivated the audience. I quietly joined the enthralled listeners.

The Sheikh Hasina government's oppression of political opponents and gross human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, had already panned out by that time, portending ominous signs for the people of Bangladesh. The man from Akhaura proudly declared that his netri (leader) Hasina would rule the country for the rest of her life—at any cost. He added that if needed, she would kill hundreds of thousands of people. Then he threw a couple of rhetorical questions to the bewildered audience: didn't you see how many people Syria's Bashar killed to remain in power? Could anybody depose him?

The Syrian tragedy was unfolding around that time. In 2011, a popular uprising erupted against Bashar al-Assad's oppressive rule. When the man on the train was boasting of his netri's brawn, about 150,000 Syrians had already been killed at the hands of Bashar al-Assad's security forces. The bloody crackdown continued, and the number of casualties eventually climbed to over half a million. Bashar al-Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, is still ruling Syria. The brutal strategy has worked for him.

The mention of Syria's Bashar al-Assad and his bloody suppression of the Syrians curdled my blood. I was gripped by horror and ghastly fear.

In Britain in 2001, I was talking to the celebrated British-Syrian writer and translator Adil Salahi. As we are both English literature graduates, we found a natural affinity between us. At one point, I asked him, "When did you last visit Syria?"

"About 20 years ago," he replied.

He gave me a prolonged gaze apparently to communicate that I was supposed to know what happened in his country in 1982. I got his message and didn't discuss the topic further. I thought it would be naïve to ask him why he had not visited his country of origin for decades.

In 1982, at the orders of Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, Syrian security forces levelled the city of Hama and killed tens of thousands of Syrians. According to a report in The Guardian on August 1, 2011, in a three-week seize and bombardment, Syrian security forces razed Hama and combed the rubble to kill surviving rebels. Hafez al-Assad's cruelty kept him in power until his death in 2000.

When the 2011 Arab Spring turned into a success story in Tunisia and Egypt and dethroned their unelected and autocratic presidents, people in Syria saw a ray of hope. On February 16, 2011, about 15 or 16 school-going boys aged 10-14 years sought to show solidarity with the Arab Spring. On a wall of al-Banin High School in the southwestern Syrian city of Daraa, they spray-painted graffiti in Arabic, "Ajaaka al-daur ya Duktur" ("Your turn has come, O Doctor"). It was obviously a reference to, and a message for, Bashar al-Assad, who is a British-trained ophthalmologist. Predictably, the boys were detained and tortured. After Friday prayers on March 18, 2011, people in Daraa took to the streets demanding their release. Thus started the Great Friday protests, which routinely faced crackdown from the Syrian security forces. April 22, 2011 was the deadliest: security forces opened fire and killed at least 75 protesters in Syria on that day.

On April 29, 2011, 13-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb accompanied his father to a peaceful protest demonstration in Daraa, which came under attack from security forces. In the midst of a melodrama of shooting and bloodshed, Hamza got separated from his father and was detained along with other protesters. His dead body was returned to his family members after nearly a month.

According to an Al Jazeera report on May 31, 2011, Hamza's corpse bore scars of torture, including "lacerations, bruises and burns to his feet, elbows, face and knees, consistent with the use of electric shock devices and of being whipped with cable." His body was disfigured, and it was apparent that bullets pierced through his arms. There was "a deep, dark burn mark" on his chest, and his "neck was broken and his penis cut off."

Hamza's parents were shown only the face of the dead body. But his father Ali al-Khateeb pulled the blanket off Hamza's body, saw the mutilated body of his son and fainted. The secret police visited Hamza's parents and threatened them against speaking out or filing a lawsuit against the security forces.

On May 31, 2011, Bashar al-Assad "invited" Hamza's family members to Damascus. He offered them condolences and promised them investigation and justice. The state media regarded Hamza as a martyr and blamed the opposition for his death. Hamza's family members were quoted as saying that they were "overwhelmed" by the "kindness and concern" of the president.

Long story short, a two-and-a-half-minute clip of Hamza's grotesque dead body went viral on social media in Syria and beyond and became a symbol of a widespread uprising. Social media users declared "We are all Hamza al-Khateeb" in a show of solidarity with the movement. Families around Syria felt that Hamza was their own son, and protesters chanted, "With our blood and our souls we will defend you Hamza." Bashar al-Assad stepped up his violent campaign of repression and killed hundreds of thousands, and the rest is now history.

Let's turn our eyes to Bangladesh's resistance icon Abu Sayed, who was killed by security forces in the turbulent weeks leading to Sheikh Hasina's fall. An English literature student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, Abu Sayed joined the July 2024 quota reform movement to protest against discrimination in government job recruitment. The movement gathered renewed momentum after, during a press briefing on July 14, the now deposed and runaway Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina used the term "Razakar" (traitor) to justify the controversial quota system.

The government launched a violent crackdown and the police opened fire on unarmed student protesters around the country. On July 16, Abu Sayed sought to defy police brutality. Fifteen metres away from the heavily-armed police personnel on a street near his university, he stood firm with arms wide open. Perhaps the unarmed Sayed put trust in the police of his country and couldn't fathom the depth of savagery that the security forces were encouraged to exercise. The police violated that trust and shot him once. He remained unruffled, calm and serene. They fired more bullets. Worn out, Sayed walked to the pavement and collapsed on the ground. He was brought to the hospital dead.

Point-blank shots of security forces killed at least half a dozen young people around the country on that day. Video clips containing gruesome images of the killings of Abu Sayed and other young people spread on social media. Security forces continued killing, and hundreds of protesters laid down their lives for a moral cause in the spirit of something larger than themselves. The youth of Bangladesh defied death, and Hasina fell and fled on August 5, 2024.

In a blatant attempt to protect the police and in stark contrast to reality, sub-inspector Bibhuti Bhushan Roy of the police camp of Begum Rokeya University wrote the First Information Report (FIR) on Abu Sayed's death, which stated, "The protesters fired weapons and threw chunks of bricks from different directions, and at one stage, a student was seen falling to the ground."

On August 11, 2024, Abu Sayed's family members shared that they were forced to meet Sheikh Hasina on July 28, 2024. Government officials brought them to Dhaka and put them in a hotel next to the police lines before transporting them to Gono Bhaban for a scheduled meeting with her. Hasina gave them two minutes of her time, just enough to get some photos taken, promising investigation and justice.

One photo featured in the media showed Sheikh Hasina hugging Abu Sayed's mother and shedding, what I believe, were crocodile tears. When Hasina was still in power, presumably to please her, one media outlet reported, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given her consent as Sayed's family members expressed their eagerness to meet her"—an example of media sycophancy par excellence.

That was not the only occasion when Hasina met family members of victims (presumably killed by her security forces) at her official residence. BNP leader Ilias Ali is one of the early victims of enforced disappearances. On May 2, 2012, Hasina met his wife Tahsina Rushdir at Gono Bhaban and assured her of investigation and justice. Saleha Begum, mother of another victim named SM Moazzem Hossain Tapu, met "Sheikh Hasina three times, the home minister 35 times, the inspector general of police five times and the Rapid Action Battalion director general three times so far to trace her son." Justice was never served.

The comparable patterns in the behaviour of Bashar al-Assad and Sheikh Hasina are staggering and tempt us to believe that one autocrat followed the playbook of the other. Both put the blame of the killing of their victims on their opponents. Both forced the bereaved family members of their victims to meet them, as they contrived to manufacture and show sympathy to them in public. Both presented themselves as kind and compassionate to the family members of their victims and promised them investigation and justice. Both ordered the use of force to crush protesters and perpetuate their rule. However, eventually, it has worked for one so far, but didn't work for the other.

On a final note, had Sheikh Hasina had her way and used the security forces to her full satisfaction to realise her wishes, perhaps we would have a different Bangladesh now.

Md Mahmudul Hasan, PhD, is professor at the Department of English Language and Literature in the International Islamic University Malaysia.​

 

[Saif]

Killed in students’ movement: None claims bodies

Eight bodies are also being preserved at the Dhaka Medical College morgue as details of the deceased remain unknown.

en.prothomalo.com

Killed in students’ movement: None claims bodies
Shishir MoralDhaka
Updated: 15 Aug 2024, 09: 12

A notice about unclaimed bodies at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital Prothom Alo

Relatives are going from one to another hospital in search of their dear ones as some people, who joined the movement of the Student Against Discrimination, have not yet returned home.

In the meantime, several bodies are still in the morgues with the hospital authorities finding none claiming those bodies.

Visiting Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital on Monday, it was learned that three bodies are still in the morgue though people come every day searching for their beloved ones.

Eight bodies are also being preserved at the Dhaka Medical College morgue as details of the deceased remain unknown.

The bodies left at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College morgue arrived between 16 July and 6 August. Since nobody claims the bodies, hospital director Md. Shafiur Rahman issued a notice on the matter.

It said there were several unidentified bodies at the hospital’s mortuary, arrived during the ongoing Students Against Discrimination movement. No details of the deceased have been found. None claimed the bodies either. Even the hospital authorities received no cooperation from the police. So the hospital authorities welcome individuals or organisations interested in conducting the funeral of these unclaimed bodies.

This correspondent saw one such advertisement on the notice board of the director’s office and another on the mortuary’s door on Monday.

According to data provided by the hospital authorities, 30 bodies arrived in the hospital during clashes and violence centering the recent movement between 18 July and 22 July. Twenty-one of the deceased were documented and eight-nine bodies remained undocumented. Twenty more bodies arrived between 4 August and 6 August and all of those bore bullet marks.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Monday, hospital director Md. Shafiur Rahman said, “Still there are several unclaimed bodies at the morgue. We are in a bit of trouble as the bodies might get rotten.”

The in-charge of the mortuary, located at the ground floor of the hospital, told Prothom Alo there were five bodies, but relatives took two of those bodies. One of the three deceased was about 35 years old while the remaining two were 18-19 years who, according to the hospital director, were students.

When this correspondent was talking to the in-charge of the mortuary, a certain youth, Ahsanullah Alif Khan, arrived and said he was searching for his brother and he wanted to see the bodies or the photo of the bodies. The in-charge along with an official showed the youth and this correspondent the photographs of the bodies, he then assured that none of the three deceased was his brother.

Ahsanullah Alif Khan was from Trishal, Mymensingh. He works at an apparel factory in Gazipur. His brother's name was Ashikur Rahman Khan, 31, who was a wage earner.

Showing the photograph of his brother, Ahsanullah Alif Khan told Prothom Alo, “His younger brother came to Dhaka on 1 August to join the movement but never returned.”

Previously, he searched for the body of his brother at the Dhaka Medical College morgue twice and at the Mugda Medical College and Hospital, but he found nothing. Now, he does not understand where he could find his brother.

Moments later, the conversation with Ahsanullah Alif Khan ended when another man of nearly 40 sat next to this correspondent.

Asked why he was there, the man replied one of his relatives had gone missing since the movement and he was searching for his relative from one to another hospital.

When asked about the details of his relative, the man left the mortuary hurriedly.​

 

[Saif]

৫ আগস্ট যেভাবে হ ত্যা য জ্ঞ চালায় শেখ হাসিনা সরকার

 

[Saif]

Cultural activists demand justice for the killing of students

Cultural activists and other professionals with the leaders of different political parties at an event at Central Shaheed Minar on Tuesday evening demanded justice for killings of students and...

www.newagebd.net

Cultural activists demand justice for the killing of students
MA Aslam Molla 21 August, 2024, 00:43

Teachers, students, writers, journalists and artistes gather at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital on Tuesday to pay respect to the people killed during the recent student-led mass uprising. | Sony Ramany

Cultural activists and other professionals with the leaders of different political parties at an event at Central Shaheed Minar on Tuesday evening demanded justice for killings of students and people during the quota reform student movement.

They also demanded proper treatment for injured protesters, filing cases against the police for killings and UN investigation into enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings in the past 15 years.

The event titled Amra Tomader Bhulbona was organsied by Chhatra Shikkhak Lekhak Sangbadik O Shilpi Samaj.

Lyricist Latiful Islam Shibli, Abu Saeed Khan, Zahidur Rahman, Mayer Daak coordinator Sanjida Islam Tulee, Mahfuza Akhter, Asaduzzaman Asad, Nirmal Omar and Saeed Bari spoke at the event which was moderated by writer-journalist Ehasan Mahamud.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and its senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Moin Khan, Selima Rahman, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, among others, were present at the programme to express their solidarity.

Deepak Kumar Goswami recited the poem Sob Kichu Mone Rakha Hobe, rickshaw puller Sultan Mia from Rangpur sang his self-composed song and a troupe of musicians performed group songs, including the national anthem at the event.

The event was inaugurated by fathers of three martyrs of the Student Movement Against Discrimination, who demanded justice for the killing of their sons.

‘The entire country is traumatised by the killing of young students. We have to suppress the system of fascism through intellectuality and unity. I demand justice for killings, but it is not by hanging killer Hasina,’ said Latiful Islam Shibli.

‘We have to reform the state for a democratic system, laws and justice. We have to continue the movement with the students,’ said Abu Saeed Khan.

‘The previous government formed Ayanaghor and captured a lot of political leaders who were against them. We demand a UN investigation into extrajudicial killings in the past 15 years and demand justice for every killings, every missing and every bullet,’ said Sanjida Islam Tulee.

She said that more than 800 student protesters were killed in violence during their protests.

‘We demand proper treatment of every injured protester undergoing treatment at hospitals across the country. We do not want to see any more deaths of the protesters,’ said Saeed Bari.​

 

[Saif]

Student-mass movement: Death toll keeps rising, 757 till date

he deceased is Md Shumon Mia. He would study at a madrasa at Madhobdi area in Narsingdi. Shumon would regularly join the programmes after the Student Against Discrimination movement had begun demanding the reform in quota in government jobs. He received bullets during the agitation on 20 July. A...

en.prothomalo.com

Student-mass movement: Death toll keeps rising, 757 till date
The deceased include students, children, women, political leaders, activists and people from different walks of life. Some of them died on the spot while some died at the hospitals while undergoing treatment.
Ahmadul HassanDhaka
Updated: 24 Aug 2024, 23: 02

Clashes centering the quota reform movement took place at Badda area in Dhaka. Such clashes also took place across the country. File photo

A student, who received bullet injuries during the quota reform movement, died while undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on Friday.

The deceased is Md Shumon Mia. He would study at a madrasa at Madhobdi in Narsingdi. Shumon would regularly join programmes of the Student Against Discrimination movement which demanded reforms in quota in government jobs. He received bullets during the agitation on 20 July. A bullet hit his abdomen. He was brought to Dhaka with a critical injury. He was under the treatment at the hospital for over a month. However, he couldn't be saved.

Some 757 people have died in violence, clashes and firing centering the Student Against Discrimination movement between July 16 and 23 August. The deceased include students, children, women, political leaders-activists and people from different professions. Some of them died on the spot while some died at the hospitals while undergoing treatment.

These deaths from violence and clashes have been confirmed by the people who brought dead bodies to hospitals and relatives of the deceased, 14 hospitals outside Dhaka and 13 hospitals in Dhaka.

Of the deceased, identities of 69 couldn't be ascertained. There were 8 unidentified bodies at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue till yesterday. Detailed information of 157 deceased couldn't be collected as bodies were taken from hospitals immediately.

According to a report of the UN Human Rights Commission, at least 650 people have died in violence between 16 July and 11 August.

The report titled 'Preliminary Analysis of Recent Protests and Unrest in Bangladesh' was published from Geneva on 16 August.

One of the reasons for increasing the number of deaths is that many dead bodies from the spots were not taken to hospitals. In many cases, the relatives took bodies from the spots without postmortem and they are buried in their respective localities. As a result, many incidents in the beginning which caused deaths were not counted. Moreover, many injured are dying in the hospitals.

Analysing the deaths centering the agitation, the trend, nature and chronology of the incidents, the movement of the students and masses can be divided into two. One unit is from 16 July to 3 August and another unit is from 4 August to 20 August. First phase can be considered as the movement for quota reform and the second phase can be considered as the movement for the ouster of the government.

Analysing the picture of deaths in the first phase, it is found that the law enforcing agencies at one stage used additional force to tackle the movement launched for reform of quota in government jobs. On 16 July, six people including four students died. 305 more people died across the country for using lethal weapons in addition to using excessive force from 18 July to 21 July. Later, 30 people died while undergoing treatment till 3 August.

Analysing deaths in the second stage, 116 people died in clashes and violence across the country on 4 August. On the day, it was seen that alongside the law enforcing agencies, many Awami League leaders and activists used lethal weapons.

On 5 August, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister and fled to India. Massive violence took place on the day and the following day. 265 people died in two days (5-6 August). 20 more people, who were injured critically during the clashes and violence, died while undergoing treatment till 20 August.

Deaths higher in Dhaka in the first phase, outside Dhaka in the second phase.

Analysing facts and figures, deaths were higher in Dhaka in the first phase (16 July to 3 August). 246 people died in different areas in the capital during the period. At the same time, at least 95 people died outside the capital.

In the first phase, a higher number of deaths is reported in Jatrabari, Uttara, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Rampura and Badda. 46 people died in Jatrabari, 31 in Uttara, 29 in Mirpur and 21 in Mirpur.

Analysing information and data of deaths of the second phase (after 3 August and onward), incidents of deaths took place more outside Dhaka. Some 126 people died in Dhaka while 290 died outside Dhaka during the period. Of the deceased, at least 88 are Awami League leaders and activists. Upon the fall of the government, aggrieved persons in many areas carried out attacks on the leaders and activists of Awami League and their houses and establishments were set on fire.

On the contrary, deaths of 15 leaders and activists of BNP and one Chhatra Shibir have been confirmed centering movement for quota reform and the one-point demand for the resignation of the government. However, BNP claimed that 117 leaders, activists and supporters of the party have died. Similarly, Jamaat-e-Islami claimed their 87 leaders and activists have died.

Both BNP and Jamaat said they concealed the information of deaths as they didn't want to give the movement of students and the masses a political colour. Moreover, this strategy was taken to avoid misunderstanding with the general students. Although the movement in the beginning was of the student and later it took the form of the movement of students-masses and the Awami League government was deposed through the mass uprising.

91 students killed

A review of the deaths reveals that the highest number of students died on 18 and 19 July and on 4 August. A total of 25 students were killed on 18 July, 23 died on 19 July and 15 on 4 August. They included school children, college students, university students and madrasa students. So far the deaths of 91 students have been recorded.

The first death at the outset of the clashes and violence took place on 16 July in Rangpur. The police on that day opened fire on Abu Sayeed, a student of Rangpur's Begum Rokeya University. A video taken of that incident shows how he stood on the street, stick in hand and arms widespread, facing the police's firearms. It was seen how a member of the police took aim at him and fired. Once this video went viral, students all over the country rose up in fury and the movement grew intense.

Videos of excessive use of force by the police went viral on social media during the movement. One video showed police firing pellets at a youth non-stop. Another youth came forward to save him but the police simply continued shooting. This incident took place on 20 July in Jatrabari. The youth was Imam Hasan (19). He was a Class 11 student of Government Adamjee Nagar MW College in Narayanganj. His father Mainal Hossain was also a police officer.

Imam Hossain mother Parveen Akhter, speaking to Prothom Alo, said in angry reproach, "The police shot dead a policeman's son, what recompense did my husband get?"

Most were shot dead

Prothom Alo perused the records of 13 hospitals in Dhaka and Narayanganj to learn how the persons were killed. Also, 8 staff correspondents and 49 correspondents of Prothom Alo spoke to the families and relatives of those who were killed to find out how they died. It was learnt that of 757 killed persons, at least 424 were killed by bullets.

From 16 July to 3 August at least 277 and from 4 August onwards 144 were killed in gunfire, it was confirmed. Those who were shot dead include 89 infants and children and 4 women.

A video went viral on Facebook of a conversation between the deputy commissioner (DC) of the police's Wari zone at the time, Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, and the home minister Asaduzzaman. They spoke of using excessive police force and lethal weapons to suppress the movement.

In the video, the police official Iqbal Hossain told the former home minister Asaduzzaman, "We are having to shoot to kill, sir. When we shoot, one gets killed, one gets injured. One goes down, the rest don't. That's the scariest thing, sir, and worrisome too."

The home minister was flanked by home secretary of that time Jahangir Alam and inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

In Jatrabari alone 86 persons were killed in gunfire during the movement. Even on 5 August, the day that the government fell, at least 36 were shot dead in Jatrabari. Jatrabari is a part of the police's Wari zone. The police officer had been the DC of Wari zone at the time.

Concerned persons say, police indiscriminately opened fire in Jatrabari and killed people. That is why the people are furious at the police. Seven policemen were killed there too. One member of RAB and one of the Ansar force were killed too. One body of one policeman was even strung up in Jatrabari.

According to the police headquarters, 44 members of the police force were killed after 16 July. Other than that, two members of the Ansars, one RAB and one BGB member also died.

Students and women took part in this movement in large numbers. Of the 424 persons shot dead by the law enforcement agencies, 83 were women and children. Another 10 women and children were killed in fire and other attacks.

Professor Tanzim Uddin Khan of Dhaka University's department of international relations, speaking to Prothom Alo about the use of excessive force including firearms to suppress the student-people's movement, said the state machinery had become a one-person show. The main aim was to safeguard that one person. It didn't matter how many common people were killed in the process.

Tanzim Uddin Khan said, the repression and the killing to which the Awami League government resorted in order to suppress the movement had made everybody unsafe. When staying alive became a huge challenge, then people begin to forget all divides, whether ideological or otherwise. The struggle to survive draws everyone together. That is what happened during the student and people's movement. It played a big role in uniting everyone. This movement also brought forward the matter of state reforms.

*This article, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online editions, has been rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir and Rabiul Islam​

 

[Saif]

Student-people’s movement: Children’s death count rises to 89

At least 89 infants and children have been killed during the violence and attacks centering the movement for quota reforms in government jobs and the demonstrations demanding resignation of the government, according to the latest count.

en.prothomalo.com

Student-people’s movement: Children’s death count rises to 89
Naznin AkhterDhaka
Updated: 28 Aug 2024, 19: 59

A young student injured in the Students against Discrimination movement being carried to safety, 3 August, Cumilla Police Lines area File Photo

At least 89 infants and children have been killed during the violence and attacks centering the movement for quota reforms in government jobs and the demonstrations demanding resignation of the government, according to the latest count.

On 18 August Prothom Alo had reported the death of 70 infants and children.

Some of the children whose deaths have been added to the records died while undergoing treatment at hospital, and information of some of the deaths was found later.

According to Prothom Alo, 758 persons died during the student-people’s uprising and later. Of this, 341 died between 16 July to 3 August. And 417 died between 4 to 14 August.

The infants and children died from pellets and bullets when the law enforcement agencies opened fire to suppress the demonstrations, from attacks and firing of Awami League leaders and activists and also in fire and attacks after the fall of the government.

Most of the young teens who were killed had taken part in the demonstrations. But some of the infants and the children were killed while playing in their own homes or on the roofs of their homes, watching the demonstrations, and even in victory processions with their parents.

Shahriar Khan Anas (16), a student of Class 10 at Gandaria Ideal High School in Old Dhaka left a letter at home on 5 August, saying that he was going to join the movement. He wrote, “Ma, I am going to join the processions. I cannot stay back. Rather than staying at home like a coward, it is much better to join the struggle and be shot dead like a hero.”

Anas was shot dead on 5 August at Chankarpool in the capital city. His father Sharia Khan handed over the letter to Prothom Alo, saying, let the people know about Anas. How much patriotism it takes to prepare oneself and leave home!

89pc die of bullet wounds

According to the Children Act 2013, anyone under 18 years of age is considered a child. From the information Prothom Alo had received all the deaths, it has been seen that 89 of the killed are infants and children.

A review of hospital records and information from relatives, it has been found that the bodies of 79 of these children had pellet and lethal bullet wounds. And 9 of the children died in fire set to buildings and vehicles. One child died of injuries received from the splinters of sound grenades.

The youngest of the children who were killed was Abdul Ahad (4). He hadn’t even begun going to school. On 20 July he was with his mother and father in the verandah of their eighth-floor flat in Rayerbagh watching the demonstrations when a bullet hit him and he died. There are two little girls among those who died too. They are Riya Gope (6) of Narayanganj and Naima Sultana (15) of Uttara. Riya was shot while on the roof of her house and Naima was shot in her verandah.

Videos of the killing of the many of the children have been recorded on people’s mobile phones. Many of these videos have gone viral on social media. These incidents can be proved by scrutinising these videos, gathering information collected, witnesses and other evidence---Sara Hossain, Senior lawyer of the Supreme Court.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, president of the National Girl Child Advocacy Forum and secretary of Shashashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) termed the killings to suppress the agitation as the most despicable and inhuman crime. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said that bullets were fired at people to create panic. It is essential to include these incidents as crimes against humanity and ensure stern punishment to those responsible. The government must stand by the families of the killed and the wounded.

More in Dhaka

The first death that took place centering the movement for quota reforms in government jobs took place on 16 July. Six were killed on that day. There were no children among them. The first incident of any child being killed was on 18 July. From that day till 4 August, there were at least 56 children. The Awami League government fell on 5 August. From that day till 11 August, at least 33 more children were killed, it has been learnt.

A review of the deaths shows that 57 of the children were killed in Dhaka (including Savar and Tongi). Outside of Dhaka 32 had died.

Of the children killed, 42 were students. 29 of the children were involved in labour. Some of them worked in shops, some were footpath vendors, some were garments factory workers, and some were construction workers or hawkers. The identity of four children remains unknown. Their bodies were lying at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. The profession of the remaining 17 children was not known. One child (Ahad) hadn’t started going to school yet.

Md Mostafa Zaman Samudra (16) of Rampura in the capital has passed this SSC this year. He joined the demonstrations on 19 July. He was hit in the chest by a bullet and died. His father Moniruzzaman Tajal told Prothom Alo they had no idea that Samudra had joined the protests. Later they learnt from friends that he had been joining the demonstrations from 16 July.

Moniruzzaman said, “Victory has been won, but my son never got to see it.”

Priority in seeking justice

Never have so many people died in any movement or agitation in Bangladesh. Never before have so many children been killed.

Senior lawyer of the Supreme Court Sara Hossain has stressed the need to place priority on justice for the children killed during the student’s movement. She told Prothom Alo, videos of the killing of the many of the children have been recorded on people’s mobile phones. Many of these videos have gone viral on social media. These incidents can be proved by scrutinising these videos, gathering information collected, witnesses and other evidence. She said, rather than waiting for the bereaved families, the state should come forward to file cases, even if just one or two. This will give people confidence.

Sara Hossain said, if cases are filed in a scattered matter against those who ordered the killing and other such powerful people, there is the fear that these cases will simply drag on. However, those who ordered the killings in no way can be left off the hook.​

 

[Saif]

Mugdho enchanted whole university, KU teachers recount

Deepto also said that Mugdho was a unit leader in the Armed Police Battalion Scout Group and achieved the “National Service Award” from Bangladesh Scouts for his promising role in rescuing and evacuating people during the Banani Fire in 2019

en.prothomalo.com

Mugdho enchanted whole university, KU teachers recount
BSSKhulna
Published: 30 Aug 2024, 16: 25

Mir Mahfuzur Rahman ‘Mugdho’ during a kite flying festival at Khulna University BSS

Mir Mahfuzur Rahman ‘Mugdho’, a former student of Mathematics Department at Khulna University (KU), is not merely a name. He appeared to be a part of Bangladesh history as he embraced martyrdom joining the student-people mass uprising ousting the Awami League (AL) government.

KU teachers recounted the memory of Mugdho with a heavy heart narrating how he used to enthral the whole campus by his infectious behaviour encouraging others to be a good human soul.

On 18 July, Mugdho, 25, sacrificed his life in the police firing as he was seen distributing water among the students staging demonstration in the Azampur area of Uttara in Dhaka posing no apparent threat.

A bullet hit his forehead and pierced through his right ear when the police opened fire at the students.

Professor Md. Azmol Huda, head of the Mathematics Department under the School of Science, Engineering and Technology of KU, said Mugdho was excellent in analytical ability helping him achieve good results in Mathematics.

‘Mugdho’ graduated from the Mathematics department of KU as a student of the 19-batch.

Mir Mahfuzur Rahman ‘Mugdho’ on a bike one the Pabna Circuit House premisesBSS

“He (Mugdho) was undoubtedly an extraordinary student. In his freelancing career, he completed around 1,000 orders holding a 5-star rating on Fiverr, one of the best online workplaces in the world,” said Prof. Huda.

The KU teacher said Mugdho possessed by-born leadership qualities as he posed himself the best team player at any event of KU Programmes and helped the first-year students understand any lesson and ready assignment.

“In the early days of 19-Batch, on a tour of Mathematics Department, I asked the students to elect two coordinators to take responsibility and look after the younger ones,” Prof. Huda said in a sombre voice.

“I was astonished seeing it was Mugdho, one of the favourite students of teachers, whom he had seen earlier as a coordinator of many events,” he added with teary eyes.

Professor Munnujahan Ara of the same department said all the teachers and the students loved Mugdho overwhelmingly.

Mir Mahfujur Rahman Mugdho File photo

“All the teachers of the Mathematics Department loved his smiling face which was a symbol of innocence,” professor Munnujahan said, adding that sometimes when she rebuked him regarding any assignment in the class, he used to smile and that mitigated her temper. Strangely enough, on the very next day, he would submit his assignment with his famous smile.

Sorrow and sadness engulfed Munnujahan while recounting his memory as tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“He (Mugdho) was a brilliant debater of the department. He liked to play guitar. Even he played guitar in many departmental programmes in the KU,” she mentioned.

She also said Mugdho was very interested in riding a bike while she was showing some photos of him.

He intended to visit all over Bangladesh riding a bike and wanted to see how people were suffering in the villages and the remote areas of the country, Munnujahan continued.

“All of our teachers and students burst into tears with grief when we saw that Mugdho was shot dead while he was on the street of Dhaka saying “Pani lagbe, Pani” (does anyone need water)?” she stated.

After completion of his graduation from KU, Mugdho got admitted to Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) to complete his MBA.

Remembering Mugdho’s smiling face, Prof. Munnujahan said Mugdho’s classmates will go back to the classroom of BUP again but he won’t come back.

Earlier, Mugdho’s elder brother Mir Mahmudur Rahman Deepto reportedly said Mugdho was already dead when his friends brought him to Crescent Hospital.

He mingled with the students until his martyrdom to help the demonstrators, who were fighting for a just cause against the Awami League government, Deepto said, adding that from the young age, Mugdho always raised his voice against injustice and corruption.

Deepto also said that Mugdho was a unit leader in the Armed Police Battalion Scout Group and achieved the “National Service Award” from Bangladesh Scouts for his promising role in rescuing and evacuating people during the Banani Fire in 2019.​