By Arif Rizvi

FENI, Sept 22, 2024 (BSS) - Wakil Ahmed Shihab, a resident of Sadar upazila of the district, went to a salon on August 4 to get his hair cut on his mother's advice. But he could not stay there. He joined the anti-discrimination student movement coming out of the salon without getting his hair cut as one of his friends called him to join the agitation. Later, he returned home as a martyr, making the supreme sacrifice for his beloved motherland.

Shihab, 20, was shot dead by Awami League activists while taking part in a demonstration staged by the anti-discrimination student movement in Mohipal area here.

He was the elder of two sons of Saudi expatriate Md Sirajul Islam and Mahfuza Akhtar of Dakshin Kashimpur village of Panchgachia Union of the sadar upazila. 

Shihab's father Sirajul Islam returned to the country after getting the news of his son's martyrdom. 

Talking to BSS, Sirajul Islam said, "My son embraced martyrdom for the country. It is the responsibility of the incumbent government to ensure trial of his killing. I want justice for my son's killing."

Shihab's younger brother Walid Ahmed Sayem described the chronology of the tragic incident of his brother's martyrdom, saying that Shihab came home from outside and met his mother around 12 noon on the day.

"Ammu (my mother) asked him to go to the salon and gave him money to get his hair cut. While going to the salon, my brother talked to Ammu for a long time standing outside the house and said goodbye to her. It was his last meeting with (our) mother," said Sayem.

He (Shihab) went to the roadside with one of his friends and both had snacks at a restaurant there. Later, Shihab went to the salon.

"Soon after Bhaiya (my brother) reached the salon, he got a phone call from his another friend asking if he would join the movement," Sayem said, adding, responding to his friend's call, Shihab left the salon without getting his hair cut and went to Mohipal to join the movement.

Recalling the memory, he said, "I was having lunch. Then Ammu (my mother) was saying - 'why Shihab is so late' - and she asked me to make a phone call to him. I called Bhaiya many times but he did not pick up the phone". 

Sayem said, having failed to reach his brother over phone, his family members contacted Shihab's workplace, but did not get any information from there regarding Shihab's whereabouts. 

"In the afternoon, when we all were talking about my brother, someone informed us that Bhaiya was in Sadar Hospital. At first we thought that Bhaiya might have taken someone to the hospital, therefore he was late to return home. But, just after a while, one of our relatives made a call over the phone and said that my brother was shot," he added.

Hearing the news, Sayem said, he and his (paternal) uncle went to the hospital and found five to six corpses at the emergency section of the hospital.

"When I was looking for my brother, we saw five to six bodies lying in front of the emergency section. I was trying to identify my brother's body by removing the cloth from the face of the corpses and I got Bhaiya's body when I removed the cover from the face of the second corpse in the raw," he said.

About the terrible situation, Sayem said when they were receiving the body, someone was saying that the body would have disappeared if there would have been any delay to receive it.

"Therefore, we hastily rented a CNG-run auto rickshaw and brought the body home. But, Ammu (my mother) fainted after seeing Bhaiya's body. She remained senseless for the whole day," he said, adding that when his mother regained consciousness later, she was blaming herself, saying, "Why did I ask him to get his hair cut?"

According to eyewitnesses, when indiscriminate firing started, Shihab's friend, responding to whose call he joined the demonstration, went on the flyover. At that time, Shihab entered the nearby Circuit House Road while terrorists opened indiscriminate fires at him. 

Shihab was hit by three bullets in his head, back and leg. From the spot, the locals took him to Feni Sadar Hospital.

Distraught mother of Shihab, Mahfuza Akhtar, said that her son used to stay close to her. 

"Even, my son met me on that day too. But who knew that would be the last meeting. He went to the movement for the sake of the country, but the terrorists killed him. I want the trial of those who killed my son," said Mahfuza in a heavy voice.

Local people also demanded trial of Shihab killing, saying that thugs of Awami League shot him to death in broad daylight. Several residents of the Dakshin Kashimpur area said Shihab was always associated with good deeds. He used to extend his hands of cooperation to help others.

Shaheed Shihab was born on January 7, 2005. He passed SSC from Jaylaskar High School in 2021. He was learning mobile phone mechanical works at Mohipal Plaza. Shihab had a dream of going abroad after learning how to repair mobile phones. 

His younger brother Walid Ahmed Sayem is an eighth grade student at Ta'mirul Ummah Madrasah.

Shihab's mother Mahfuza Akhtar filed a murder case with Feni Model Police Station on the night of August 20, mentioning the names of 151 people and 100-150 others as unknown accused. 

Jatiya Party presidium member and former Member of Parliament (MP) from Feni-3 constituency Lieutenant General (Retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, former MP from Feni-1 constituency Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury Nasim and MP from Feni-2 constituency and Feni district Awami League General Secretary Nizam Uddin Hazari are the first three accused in the case respectively.