Rabiul remembered as son of Manikganj

Mohammad Rabiul Karim

Speakers yesterday at a memorial meeting highlighted the life of Mohammad Rabiul Karim, a slain assistant commissioner of the Detective Branch of  Dhaka Metropolitan Police, who was not just a police official, but also a patriotic and dedicated social worker.

Rabiul sacrificed his life on July 1 when he was fighting to rescue hostages from the Holey Artisan Bakery in the capital's posh Gulshan.

He was buried beside his father at his village graveyard in Katigram of Manikganj.

The specialised school "BLOOMS" held the meeting on its premises around 3:00pm in Manikganj Sadar upazila, which was attended by its students, their guardians, and teachers, Rabiul's fellows and well-wishers as well as villagers.

He founded the school for children with disabilities at the village in 2011 and used to bear all the expenses of the school where some 36 students are currently studying.

Mohammad Nuruzzaman, assistant professor of philosophy of Dhaka University, Abdul Alim Khan, deputy secretary of Public Works Ministry, Shahidullah Swapan, director of Lions Club Dhaka Ideal Green, Zia Shawkat Ali, president of BLOOMS school management committee, among others, attended the meeting.

Tearful, the speakers said the school was a dream of Rabiul and they would run the school according to his thought.

He always thought about welfare of the common people, they said, adding that he was very polite and was admired by everybody for his efforts in ensuring welfare of the people of the society.

Rabiul distributed clothes among relatives and villagers even two days before his death, recalled the speakers.

"He was a role model for his fellows and was very much committed to working for his village's welfare," said Nur Siddiqui, a fellow of Rabiul.

In the meeting, Swapan gave a pledge to provide support to the school while Nuruzzaman and Khan said Rabiul sacrificed his life for greater interest of the country…

The slain police official also established a kindergarten, Kabi Nazrul Bidyasiri, at his village in 2007 with a view to fulfilling his father's dream.

There is no single organisation in the area, which did not get any assistance from Rabiul, said Biplob Hossain Selim, chairman of Krisnapur Union Parishad in the upazila.

Nure Alam Sarker, chairman of neighbouring Atigram Union Parishad, recalled that Rabiul always urged him to work for development of the localities.

Son of late Abdul Khalek, Rabiul left behind his seven-year-old son Sajidul Karim Sami, wife Umme Salma, who is expecting a baby, elderly mother Karimun Nesa and brother Shamsuzzaman Shams, who is the Jahangirnagar University (JU) correspondent of the Bangla daily Prothom Alo.

Rabiul joined the police after succeeding the 30th BCS examinations after his post graduation in Bangla from JU.