by Md Mamun Islam

RANGPUR, Nov 4, 2024 (BSS) - Momdel Hossain, 29, was a hard-working and enthusiastic young man even only three and a half months ago. But darkness has descended on his life when he received bullet injuries during the anti-discrimination movement, which eventually led to lose his leg.

A welding worker by profession, he lives in a tiny room along the railway line of Khamar Churipotti Slum in Rangpur city with his six-month pregnant wife Jamila Begum, 24, and only son Zahid Hasan, 7.
 
He had small dreams about his only son and unborn child to educate them and make them worthy citizens.
 
However, during the fascist regime of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he was struck by cruel irony of fate as he lost one of his limbs.
 
On July 19, when he was shot by the fascist r,gime's police in an overwhelming protest rally of the anti-discrimination student movement, doctors amputated one of his legs to save his life and he became crippled for the rest of his life.

A terrible darkness descended on the life of welding worker Momdel and his family.
 
On October 23, while talking to BSS at their slum, Momdel and his wife Jamila were in tears while narrating the horrific events of that day and their successive experiences in availing his treatments.

Momdel said his father Kabir Hossain, 70, has been suffering from asthma for a long time. He can't walk and work. Momdel's mother Monwara Begum, 55, lives with her impoverished father in Bhurarhat village, far from the city.

Monwara Begum earns a little by selling wood after collecting from various sawmills and wood shops. With that she lives with her sick husband.

Momdel is the fourth of the four siblings. Saju Mian, husband of his elder sister Kohinoor Begum, 38, is a poor day-laborer. They live in the same slum with a son and a daughter.

Day-laborer Ershad Mian, husband of Momdel's second sister Laboni Begum, 35, lives in the city's bus terminal area with two sons.
 

And Momdel's elder brother day-laborer Sher Ali Madhu, 32, lives in the slum with his wife, a son and a daughter.
 
Momdel married Jamila Begum of Pateshwari village in Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram district in 2016. In the meantime, their son Zahid Hasan was born.

Working as a welding worker, Momdel earned Taka 17,500 monthly to run his family. His son Zahid studies in first grade at a Shishu Bikash Kendra run by an NGO 'Grameen Unnayan Kendra', a few kilometers away from their slum.

Momdel said, "I was born in my ancestral home in the slum. My parents are illiterate. I never went to school either. I don't know how to study. I had no high ambition."

He said, "I started working as a child laborer in welding workshops since childhood. I was working as a welding worker in Noor Metal Workshop located at the nearby Chowkihati area in Lalbagh Bazar for 20 years. My last salary was Taka 17,500 per month."

In July 2024, Rangpur was abuzz with anti-discrimination students-people indomitable movement.
 
On July 16, after Abu Sayeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University, embraced martyred being shot by police, the anti-discrimination student movement across the country, including Rangpur, took a fiery shape and turned into a single round of demands.

Rangpur became more turbulent as police attacks, firing, brutality and torture on the participants of anti-discrimination student movement across the city surpassed all levels.

Momdel said, "The day was Friday (July 19). I woke up at 9 am and ate rice for breakfast as usual. After that, I walked to Noor Metal Workshop. The workshop was closed."

"My wife and son were at my father's house in Bhurarhat village. I went there. As there is no water facility in my slum, I took a bath at my father's house. After offering Friday prayers in the mosque and completing my lunch, I returned to Rangpur with my family," he said.

Momdel always tried to work because of the poverty in the family. At that time, the welding work that was going on at Rangpur Stadium was stopped too. He left his slum around 3 pm to go to Rangpur Stadium hoping for some work.

"I went there and saw that the stadium was also closed. I set off on foot to return home again. On the way around 6:30 pm, I reached in front of Raja Ram Mohan Club Market near Rangpur City Market," he said.

 
Then a large number of police and other law enforcement personnel were seen brutally attacking, baton-charging, throwing tear gas and firing bullets at thousands of protesting students, workers and people everywhere on the city streets.

A suffocating horror ensued. People tried to run in different directions to save their lives.

Momdel said, "I was standing on the footpath. The police were firing indiscriminately on the protesters. I tried to enter the City Market to leave the place."

"At that time a young man was shot in the chest just 10/15 feet away and he fell down. I was also shot in the left knee and left hand. The bullet went through my left knee and left arm," he said.

After being shot, Momdel somehow managed to save his life by moving away from that spot and going to the head of the fruit vendor alley of the City Market.
 
He said, "Then I fainted and don't know anything after that. People took me to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. When I regained consciousness at night, I discovered myself undergoing treatment in a bed of orthopedics surgery ward No.31 on the third floor of the hospital."

Jamila said, "Someone called me using my husband's mobile phone from the hospital at 8 pm and informed me. I immediately went there and saw the doctors were bandaging my unconscious husband's leg."

"My husband regained consciousness when the bandage was done at 9 pm. People donated blood for my husband. I also bought some blood. My husband had to take a total of three bags of blood at the hospital," she said.

The next day on the evening of July 20, doctor asked Jamila to take her husband to Dhaka Pongu Hospital (National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) as they thought that the veins in her husband's knee were torn by the bullet.

Jamila said, "We are very poor. Even then, I borrowed money and hired an ambulance for Taka 15,000. I left for Dhaka with my husband at 10 pm. We reached the NITOR at 8 am on July 21 and admitted my husband there."

Then the doctor covered the bullet-riddled knee with a net made like a cage with rods. The doctor then told Jamila to take her husband to the National Heart Institute to have his knee muscle tested.

Jamila said, "That day at 4 pm, I went to the National Heart Institute with my husband and admitted him there."

In the evening, the doctor prescribed medicines and asked to bring those quickly for testing the muscle.

 
"I went out of the gate with my husband's two maternal uncles, Khokan and Nazmul, who went with me to take medicines. Immediately the policeman there asked us who the patient was, and where we came from," Jamila said.

She said, "I lied to them saying that my husband is a CNG-accident patient. The police forcefully took the papers and said that this patient was shot. I could no longer go to buy medicines. Seeing the aggressive attitude of the police, our two uncles ran away in fear."

Jamila returned to the National Heart Institute without medicines and told the doctor about it. The doctor said treatment is not possible without the medicines.

Momdel said, "Then I told my wife that I am almost dead." Anyway, you go and get the medicines yourself. If the police kill you while you are fetching medicines, then die. Then my pregnant wife went out alone to fetch medicines."

After some time she came back with medicines when Momdel's muscle testing started. Within an hour, Momdel received the knee muscle test report.

Jamila said, "Before getting the report, Nazmul uncle called from outside and asked us to flee from the hospital. Because it was still Sheikh Hasina's fascist regime, the police could do whatever they wanted."

Momdel said, "After receiving the muscle test report, I returned to the NITOR with my wife. But it was not possible to get readmission there."

"My wife took the report papers to the doctor. Seeing the report, the doctor said that the muscle has rotted and gangrene ha started developing. The left leg should be cut. This is what my wife told me," he said.

Momdel thought his wife was pregnant and sick. If the leg was amputated at the NITOR, she wouldn't be able to take care of him there. Besides, the police were frantically looking for him.

"We decided to flee to Rangpur again," Momdel said.

Jamila said, "I hired an ambulance again for Taka 15,600 and we left for Rangpur. As we fled, the test report documents were left with the doctor at the NITOR."
 
"The next day on July 22, we reached Rangpur at the time of Fajr Azaan. I admitted my husband to Doctors Community Hospital," she said.

Jamila said, "Doctors in this hospital treated my husband for three days to fix his leg. Even so, the doctor asked to amputate the leg as there was no sensation in the leg muscle that rotted."

Momdel said, he told his parents about the leg amputation. They agreed for the sake of his survival.

 
On July 25, NITOR Orthopedic Surgeon Dr Md Abdul Halim operated on Momdel's left knee at Doctors Community Hospital in Rangpur.
 
"I underwent surgery on my left knee and doctors amputated the part from just above the knee. And thus I became crippled. Never in my life did I think I would have to accept lameness!" said an emotional Momdel with tears.

After seven days in the hospital, Momdel was released. So far he has spent more than Taka three lakh for his treatment.
 
Momdel said, "For my treatment, my wife borrowed Taka 1.5 lakh from my father, Taka one lakh from my brothers and sisters and Taka 50,000 from the loan I took from Bangla German Sampriti organisation."

Jamila had to borrow another Taka 50,000 from their relatives. At present the total debt on Momdel's shoulder is more than Taka three lakh.
 
"Ever since my injury, I have not been able to pay Taka 1,350 in installments to Bangla German Sampriti organisation every month. I was the only bread earner. After being injured, my family could not buy rice and pulses as my income stopped permanently," said Momdel.

Momdel said, "On August 10, I was readmitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for treatment of gangrene that appeared on the middle finger of my left hand."

After Momdel was injured, Shahidul Islam Miju, joint convener of Rangpur Metropolitan BNP, first donated Taka 20,000 to him.

Later, member-secretary of Rangpur Metropolitan BNP Advocate Mahfuz Un Nabi Don gave Momdel Taka 10,000 and other people gave him Taka 20,000.

Momdel said, "Inspector General of Bangladesh Police Md Mainul Islam, gave me Taka 25,000 along with the families of other martyrs and injured in the anti-discrimination student movement at a ceremony held in Rangpur on October 26."

"I fervently make an appeal to the Chief Adviser of the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus to help me financially in attaching a prosthetic leg to my body so that I can lead a dignified life," said a thoughtful Momdel staring at a bleak future ahead.
 
He also appealed to give him adequate government assistance and make him debt free.

"May I be able to work again and live a life of honor as a free man with family in newly independent Bangladesh," he hoped.

Jamila appealed to the interim government to give utmost importance to the rehabilitation and treatment of the families of all the martyrs and injured during the anti-discrimination student-people uprising and to evaluate their sacrifices.

 
Talking to BSS, NITOR Orthopedic Surgeon Dr Md Abdul Halim, who operated Momdel at Doctors Community Hospital in Rangpur on July 25, said addition of an artificial leg to Momdel's body is very much possible at NITOR too.