Twenty-year-old Maruf Hossain of Kushtia's Khoksa upazila dreamed of changing his family's future with the IT skills he possessed.

Being the eldest of two children, he felt it was his responsibility to start taking care of his family as soon as possible. With that goal, Maruf, an eighth-semester Diploma student, was going ahead with his studies in Computer Science and Technology at Kushtia Polytechnic Institute.

However, all his aspirations were dashed by single a bullet, as he was shot dead during a clash between protesters and police and BGB centring the quota reform protests in the capital's Banasree area on July 19.

His friends took him to nearby Advance Hospital.

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A family left to navigate pain and loss

"He was like my brother. And now he is gone. I couldn't do anything to save him," said his friend Touhidul Nobby, who brought his body to the hospital.

"We came to Dhaka together from Kushtia for three months, as we started working as interns at an IT-based company as part of our final semester," said Touhidul, Maruf's classmate and colleague.

"We didn't even join the protests. Only 19 days had passed since we came to Dhaka, so we didn't know much about anything around here. We just got out of our house in Banasree to see what was going on. Then we saw a vehicle of BGB approaching towards us and bullets were being fired, so we rushed into an alley as everything got so chaotic there," said Touhidul.

"Maruf and I got separated. So, when he got shot, I couldn't even see it or know it immediately. After some time, when I was looking for him, I saw his body lying on the road. I quickly got a rickshaw and rushed him to the hospital, but the doctor said he was already gone," he added.

The duty doctor at the emergency department of Advance Hospital said a bullet entered through Maruf's back and pierced through his stomach.

Later, Maruf's uncle came to the hospital and took his body back to Kushtia.

"Maruf was a freelancer. He wanted to make a career in web development. He was already earning money so that he didn't burden his family," Touhidul told this newspaper.

Maruf wanted to get done with the internship soon and get back home soon so that he could finish his diploma and start his career, he added.

Instead, his lifeless body went back home, wrapped in a white shroud.

Later, when this correspondent reached out to Maruf's father, Shoriful Islam, he was in no state to talk.

"I don't know what's there to say. I buried my son with my own hands. So, nothing matters to me anymore," said, Shoriful, who runs a shop in the Khoksa area.

"Life has stopped for us. I don't feel like going to my shop. We are trying to accept that Maruf is no more and he will never be back. All we can do is keep praying for him," he added.