‘He went out with his rickshaw and got shot’

Ramzan Munshi, 35, was not involved in politics. He spent his days pulling a rented rickshaw and lived alone in a small room in the yard of his family's home in Gopalganj town.

"He was not married yet. We were looking for a bride for him," said Parveen Begum, Ramzan's sister-in-law, as she wept upon hearing the news of his death in Dhaka.

Ramzan died early yesterday while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He had been injured by gunfire during the violence centring the National Citizen Party's (NCP) "July March" in Gopalganj.

The son of the late Akbar Munshi, Ramzan was the fifth among eleven siblings -- eight brothers and three sisters. Some of his brothers are day labourers, while others run small businesses to support their families.

When this correspondent visited the family home in Thanapara, Gopalganj town, around 2:00pm yesterday, a heavy silence filled the air. In the yard of the dilapidated two-storey house, a few children played quietly. Sitting beneath the wooden staircase, Ramzan's elder brother's wife, Parveen Begum, wept in grief.

"His parents died a long time ago. At one time, our family was doing well -- we owned a large shop. But everything was lost in legal disputes," she said.

"Ramzan wasn't involved in any politics. He used to work, eat, and wander around. He went out with his rickshaw and got shot."

"After he was shot, someone came and informed my husband. Then my husband, his elder brother, and his brother's wife took Ramzan to the 250-bed General Hospital in Gopalganj. As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 11:00pm," Parveen added.

"When I got married almost 20 years ago, Ramzan was a child. He was a good soul, he died a premature death," she said, breaking down in tears.

Seven-year-old Mariya, daughter of one of Ramzan's brothers, said, "I saw uncle in my dream last night. He used to bring me snacks sometimes."

Ramzan's eldest brother, Jamal Munshi, said, "We heard there will be a post-mortem. After that, his body will be brought home. We'll bury him in the graveyard next to our house."