Adil wanted to join the army

Md Adil, 16, a tenth grader, was having lunch with his family at his home in Bhuighar area of Narayanganj on July 19 when a friend knocked at their door and informed that law enforcers were firing at student protesters nearby.

Adil immediately went outside and rushed to Dhaka-Narayanganj link road to join other protesters, despite being urged by his parents to stay home.

"We forced him to stay home on the previous day while protests raged outside. On July 19, we could not stop him. He did not return alive," said Adil's mother Ayesha Akter.

Adil was shot twice in his chest at the protest in front of the factory of SB Style Composite Ltd. People rushed him to a nearby private hospital in Signboard area, where doctors declared him dead.

He was later buried in a local graveyard in Bhuighar area the same night.

"My Adil had a dream to join the army as an officer and serve the nation. He was inspired by his maternal uncle who is an army personnel. It is but an irony of fate that he was shot dead by law enforcers," Ayesha said.

Adil is a student of Tamirul Millat Mohila Kamil Madrasa in Dhaka's Jatrabari area. He returned home from the madrasa's hostel on July 17 after attending pre-tests for upcoming SSC examinations next year.

"As the situation was turning worrisome in Dhaka, I brought him home from the hostel for fear that he would get into trouble if he remained in the capital. Yet I couldn't save my son," said his mother.

Ayesha also said Adil was a bright student, and was especially good in mathematics. He had participated in the Math Olympiad, she added, showing Adil's certificate of participation.

Adil was the youngest of his three siblings. His elder brother Abdullah Al Mamun is studying in Malaysia and another brother Bayejid Ahmed is a student of nursing at Dhaka Medical College.