More than just numbers
How will I raise our son alone?
Asks wife of Mamun who was shot in Mohakhali
Anwarul Haider and Nilima Jahan
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The air in the home of 27-year-old private car driver Mamun Hossain is thick with grief following his tragic death on July 19.
He left behind his grieving parents, his wife Sultana Rahman, and their three-and-a-half-year-old son Musab Hasan.
Mamun, from Jalial village in Noakhali's Binodpur, was fatally shot on the Mohakhali flyover while heading back to his home from his aunt's residence in Shaheenbag, Dhaka.
The bullet hit his back and pierced through his stomach, leaving him unconscious and bleeding profusely.
Locals rushed him to a nearby hospital, which then referred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
As DMCH was filled to the brim with other bullet-hit patients, they had to take him to another hospital in Mohakhali. He died around 3:30am the next day.
Mamun's father, Abdul Mateen, is a driver by profession, as are three of his four sons, who live in the Mohakhali area of the capital.
"My son was innocent, a hardworking man trying to support his family. He was walking home because he couldn't find any transport on the road. But he was shot down like an animal. We demand justice and support for his son's future."
Meanwhile, Sultana, his wife, said,"Mamun called to check on us that afternoon and said he would call back again. I never imagined those would be his last words. How will I raise our son alone?" she asked, recalling the last conversation with her husband.
Fatema Begum, Mamun's mother, is equally grief-stricken. "Why was my innocent son killed? Who will take responsibility of my grandson?" she cried.
"Looking at this little boy breaks my heart. Who will he call father now?"
Why did cops shoot my boy? He was only 14
Says father of Saad who was killed in Savar
Zahangir Shah, Manikganj
It was around 6:30pm on July 20 when 14-year old Saad Mahmud was fatally shot during a clash between the law enforcers and quota reform protesters.
Saad was playing with his cousin on the roof of a rented house in the Shahibagh area in Savar.
From the rooftop, he noticed smoke on nearby Chapain Road.
Driven by curiosity, he went to the New Market side of the road, where he was caught in police firing and sustained serious injuries, as per witnesses.
He succumbed to his wounds on the way to Enam Medical College Hospital.
With tears in his eyes, Saad's father, Bahadur Khan, recalled the incident at their village home in Manikganj's Singair yesterday afternoon.
"No one's son should die from police firing like mine. I will never get my child back," he said, tears streaming down his face.
Originally from Dhalla Khanpara village in Singair upazila, Manikganj, Bahadur had moved to Savar for his children's education.
A South Africa expatriate, he rented a house in Shahibagh.
Saad was the only son among three children. His eldest daughter, Taslima Khanam Nazneen, 20, is a second-year honors student in the Pharmacy Department at Savar's Gonoshasthaya University.
His youngest daughter, Afroza Khanam Nasurat, 8, and Saad were both students at Jabale Noor Dakhil Madrasa in Shahibagh.
When entering their village home around 1:00pm yesterday, Saad's father was seen sitting on a chair in the yard.
Saad's grandfather, Amjad Hossain Khan, 85, a former president of the upazila Krishak League, sat next to him.
Bahadur recounted the tragic events, saying, "I went to the road without seeing my son on the rooftop. I saw his favourite shoes on the road and rushed to the hospital, where I found him dead. There was a large bullet hole in his left thigh. My son had committed no crime. Why did the police shoot my child, he was only14?"
Saad's mother, Halima Akhter, fell ill from grief and could not speak. She remained silent and bedridden.
Relatives reported that Saad's body was brought to their village home that day. He was buried in the central cemetery in Dhalla village the following morning.
Dreams dashed by a bullet
CU student Hridoy dies of bullet wounds at DMCH
Sohrab Hossain, Patuakhali
Hridoy Chandra Taruya, a 22-year-old student from Chittagong University, dreamed of becoming a BCS cadre after completing his education.
He joined the recent protests with hopes of eradicating what he has perceived as the discriminatory quota system in the civil service entrance exam.
However, Hridoy's life was tragically cut short on July 18 after a bullet pierced through his back during clashes between protesters, law enforcers, and Chhatra League.
He was taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital first, then to a local private hospital and finally to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after his condition kept deteriorating.
Then, he succumbed to his injuries at DMCH on July 23, five days after being shot during the protest in Chattogram.
His untimely death has devastated his family, who had pinned their hopes on him leading the family after securing a good job.
On Tuesday night, July 26, Hridoy's body was cremated at his village in Patuakhali.
The family's only son, Hridoy, leaves behind his father Ratan Chandra Tarua, mother Archana Rani, and elder sister Mitu Rani.
"My son was studying very hard. I had many dreams about him. After completing his education, he was supposed to get a good job and take care of our family. But that dream ended with one shot. All hope was burned to ashes in the cremation fire," said his father Ratan.
Hridoy's mother, Archana Rani, devastated by the news, demanded justice and capital punishment for her son's killers.
"Why and who killed my son? I want proper justice for this killing."
Friends described Hridoy as a talented student, having achieved GPA-5 in both secondary and higher secondary examinations. He was a third-year student of History at Chittagong University.
His sister, Mitu Rani, recalled Hridoy's last visit home before Pahela Baishakh.
"He asked our parents to trust him and promised to support us with a good job. We had many dreams about my only brother, but he is gone," said Mitu.
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