Dhaka: Septuagenarian Syed Gaziur Rahman, a retired Bangladesh Bank deputy director, became bewildered after losing his only child in the anti-discrimination student movement that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, ending nearly 16 years of her authoritarian rule.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Syed Muntasir Rahman, an 11th grader at Tamirul Millat Kamil Madrasah, was the only child of Syed Gaziur Rahman and Shirin Sultana. He left his home to join the historic ‘March to Dhaka Programme’ on August 5 during the anti-discrimination student movement but never returned home.
Muntasir was shot dead in front of Jatrabari Police Station around 12:30 pm as he, along with thousands of others, attempted to break through police barricades to join the march in Shahbag in the city, against the authoritarian rule of Sheikh Hasina.
The movement succeeded in ousting the nearly 16 years of autocracy, but Muntasir couldn’t witness the victory of the cause he fought for. A bullet pierced through his head, cutting short the life of a promising youth with dreams of a brighter future, just one or two hours before the final victory.
His untimely death caused an irreparable loss to his parents as they have no other child to console them. Mourning Gaziur expressed his grief, stating, “I don’t know what kind of exam Almighty Allah is taking from us. Muntasir was our only child.”
At a recent interview with BSS at his Kutubkhali residence in Jatrabari, Gaziur, shattered by the loss, recalled his son’s dedication to social causes and his role in the anti-discrimination student movement. Muntasir’s grieving father shared that his son was often seen at the forefront of the protest, proudly wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the national flag and tying a flag around his head.
Despite the life risks, Muntasir showed unwavering determination, defying police crackdowns and standing firm for the cause he was fighting. On the morning of August 5, his parents attempted to keep him home, fearing for his safety.
Gaziur recounted the tragic day, saying, “On the day of his martyrdom, we confined him at home, but at one point, I went to the washroom, and he left the house despite his mother’s objection.” Muntasir’s mother warned him that if he went to the movement that day, he would not be allowed to enter home. Tragically, his words turned true as he replied, “I will not return today.”
“As we didn’t allow him to join the march in the early hours, Muntasir joined the procession late and missed his usual companions,” Muntasir’s father recalled in a sobbing tone.
Gaziur said his son was participating in the anti-discrimination student movement from the beginning of the quota reform movement. But Muntasir used to return for Zohr prayer, he said, adding, but he did not return that day, even after Asr.
Gaziur shared the chaos that followed, explaining how he was busy helping the injured and those being killed in the Kajla area while police fired bullets indiscriminately. He thought his son would return after celebrating the victory but grew anxious after Asr prayers and began searching for him.
After hours of desperate searching in nearby hospitals, Gaziur went to Dhaka Medical College Hospital by 8 pm, overcoming troubles across the streets as ’till then massacre was being carried out by police’.
Later, with the help of one of his cousins, who is a DMCH employee, Gaziur found his son in a pile of corpses in the morgue. Muntasir’s body was under a large number of lifeless bodies.
“Finally, we retrieved my son’s lifeless body without a postmortem or death certificate and laid him to eternal rest in our family graveyard in Nangalkot Upazila in Comilla on August 6,” Gaziur said with a broken heart.
Describing his son as a promising youth, he said Muntasir was involved in various social works while he used to write in different magazines for children. Gaziur recalled his son’s academic achievements and aspirations, saying, “My son passed the Dakhil examination this year, securing GPA-5… He had a dream of getting admission into Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) after completing Alim (HSC).”
Gaziur, determined to seek justice, has filed a case over his son’s killing, demanding capital punishment for those responsible for the tragic loss of his only child.