6 killed as violence spreads
Fierce clashes break out in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rangpur between BCL, police and quota protesters; govt deploys BGB in 6 districts; all universities, colleges, secondary schools closed; univ students asked to vacate halls; Thursday’s HSC exams suspended.
Abu Sayed, the youngest of nine siblings, was studying in the English department at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur.
Poverty forced his elder brothers and sisters to quit education, but they all chipped in to make sure Sayed continued his.
Sayed dreamt of joining the civil service, a job he believed would change his family’s fate. So he joined the quota reform protest.
But police bullets cut his dream short yesterday.
His peers brought his bullet-hit body to Rangpur Medical College Hospital after a clash between protesters and law enforcers, where doctors said Sayed was already dead.
“Sayed was our only hope,” his brother Ramjan told The Daily Star.
“We had big dreams for him, but all those dreams shattered today [yesterday],” he added.
Their father, Makbul Hossain, is ill and bedridden, and can hardly afford a treatment.
“We used whatever little we earned to support his education,” Ramjan continued, “hoping that one day he would be successful and better days will come. But bullets ended all that.”
The mood in Sayed’s village home in Babanpur of Rangpur is one of grief and disbelief. The loss is too heavy for his mother Monowara Begum. The news of Sayed’s death has plunged her into a cycle of breakdowns and fainting spells. She was in no condition to talk to The Daily Star.
Anwar Hossain, a neighbour, said, “Sayed was the brightest among his siblings. Humble and gentle, he was the only one among his siblings receiving higher education. His death has deeply saddened us all.”
Just a day before his death, Sayeed shared on Facebook how he was ready to sacrifice his life for the cause if needed.
At 12:37pm on Monday, he shared a photo card of Rajshahi University teacher and martyr Prof Dr Shamsuzzoha, who was killed in police firing in 1969 during a student protest.
The accompanying caption read: “Sir! We desperately need you right now, sir! Everyone of your generation has passed away, but you live on even after death. Your legacy is our inspiration. We are enlightened by your ideals.
“And to those of our generation, you too will die one day as per the laws of nature. But as long as you live, live with integrity. Support the just cause, take to the streets, stand as a shield for the students. You will receive genuine respect and honour. You won’t be lost in the sands of time after your death. You will live forever like Shamsuzzoha.”
Source: The Daily Star
