Dhaka: Police used excessive force to suppress protests called by the Anti-discrimination student movement but massive scale of brutality carried by law enforcement agencies ultimately shattered humanity. The entire nation was shaken when some protesters were killed by police on July 16, which eventually sparked protests across the country as people struggled to absorb the ruthless crackdown on a peaceful demonstration.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Md Mehedi, aged 20, joined the movement as students from almost all educational institutions took to the streets to amplify their protest. The entire country was engulfed in the anger of protesters as the then Awami League government, led by autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina, initiated a barbaric massacre during the historic July movement.
Mehedi's parents always harbored dreams of making their only son an engineer, dreams that were tragically shattered when he was killed on July 20. It has been five months since Mehedi was shot dead by police during the student-led mass uprising, yet his grandmother continues to wait for her beloved grandson to return and call her 'Granny.'
As a member of a lower-middle-class family, Mehedi began his struggle during his student life and ultimately sacrificed his life in the hope of building a discrimination-free society. Md Sanaullah, 52, a third-class employee at Bashundhara Paper Mill, shared with a BSS correspondent that Mehedi was the eldest among his two siblings. Mehedi spent his entire childhood at his maternal grandparents' house and, after passing SSC from Sonargaon Shilponagar High School, was studying in the second year at Gazaria Institute of Science and Technology, GIST Polytechnic.
Shilpi Begum, 45, Mehedi's mother, expressed her grief, saying, "On July 20, Mehedi went out of our house, saying that he would come home soon to have lunch with us. But he did not come; he could not keep his promise." She continued, "My son was killed while protesting against the previous autocratic government. All of our hopes have faded with his demise. What was the crime of Mehedi? Why did they kill my son?" She demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible for her son's death.
Mehedi's father recounted, "Mehedi was shot in the Hirajheel Residential area. A large portion of his brain was gone as the killers shot him in the head." He added, "Around 7 pm, one person phoned me and told me that my son was shot on the Chittagong road. When we reached there, we found our only son lying on the road, and his entire body was drenched with blood." He sobbed as he described how local people covered Mehedi's body with polythene after police not only fired on him but also kicked him even after his death.
The family took Mehedi's body to their native village and buried it there following a namaz-e-janaza. Mehedi's grandmother often touches the books on his reading table to feel the presence of her beloved grandchild. Overcome with emotion, she expressed her sorrow and anger, saying, "Mehedi was the only son in our family; we raised him with so much care and love. the almighty Allah will punish them, who killed my grandchild."
Mehedi's elder sister, Nirjona, shared, "All of our family members used to love Mehedi so much. He was very brilliant. He got GPA-5 at PEC. That's why we had a dream to make him an engineer." She continued, "As we are not solvent, Mehedi used to do tuition to continue his study. We are feeling helpless after his death." She too demanded exemplary punishment for Mehedi's killers.