Journalist killed in the line of duty

Mehedi Hasan, staff reporter of Dhaka Times, was not just a journalist; he was a son, a husband, a father, and the sole earner of his family.

On July 18, while covering clashes between protesters and law enforcers in Dhaka's Jatrabari area, Mehedi was shot and killed.

Mehedi was the eldest of three brothers and took on the responsibility of caring for his family at a young age.

Read more

Jihad wanted to be a cricketer

"He worked hard to keep his parents well, thinking about the happiness of the family," recalls his aunt, Mahinur Begum. "We were so proud when he became a journalist through his own efforts. He was looking after all of us. We can't even imagine that he is gone."

She said Mehedi recently built a one-storey house for his parents in Hosnabad village of Patuakhali's Baufal upazila.

However, that came at a cost; to build the house, Mehedi had to take a loan from a local NGO. Every month, he paid off the loan installments, ensuring that his family had a safe and secure place to live.

With Mehedi gone, his elderly parents are now struggling to comprehend life without their son. They are faced with the uncertainty of how they will continue their medical treatments or pay off the loan.

Mehedi's two daughters, just seven months and four years old, are too young to understand the tragedy that has befallen them.

In the wake of his death, the family received a Tk 10 lakh worth savings certificate and Tk 50,000 in cash from the prime minister.

His aunt Reba Akhtar said, "His dream was simple -- to raise his daughters well, to give them the opportunities he worked so hard to create. But a bullet shattered that dream."

Mehedi was laid to rest on July 30 in the backyard of the house he built.