by Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, Nov 26, 2024 (BSS) – A confident young student, Jiban Rahman Jim, 23, who carries a pellet inside his injured right eye, now faces extreme financial crisis and uncertainty to save his eye.
 
Despite repeated suggestions of eye specialists, he is still unable to undergo an emergency surgery at the Retina Department of the Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital in Dhaka for removing the pellet from his right eye.
 
The retina of that eye has been damaged in the police firing on July 19 while taking part in the anti-discrimination student-people mass uprising in the city.
 
The right eye may go out of order if the pellet was not removed through an urgent surgery without delay.
 
While taking part in the anti-discrimination student-people movement that day in the city, Jibon was seriously injured in the police firing when at least 10 rubber bullets pierced his body.
 
While talking to BSS at their home in the city's Shantinagar Khamar area, Jibon said that he had a dream to become a police officer and bring honor, happiness and solvency to his poor parents.
 
But for being a member of a poor family, things didn’t go smoothly with his dream. His right eye is now on the verge of becoming dysfunctional permanently.
 
After passing Secondary School Certificate examinations (commerce group) from Rangpur High School in 2018, he got admitted to Rangpur Collegiate School in Lalbag area of the city.
 
After passing the Higher Secondary Certificate examinations (commerce group) in 2021 he was admitted to Rangpur Government College in the honours course. Currently, he is a second year honors (Accounting) student there.
 
Jibon is the only son of his parents. His only sister Rabeya Basori, 13, is a student of class seven of Samaj Kalayan Bidya Bithi Girl's School and College in the city.
 
Jibon’s father Rabiul Islam runs a tiny betel-leaf shop at Shantinagar Khamar area as the only earner of their family. His Mother Jamila Begum is a housewife.
 
Despite financial constraints in their five-member family, Rabiul and Jamila were leading a happy life with their son, daughter and Rabiul’s widow mother Ranu Begum, 85.
 
They had no high ambition except the only dream of properly educating their son Jibon and daughter Rabeya to make them worthy citizens.
 
“I had been taking part in the anti-discrimination student movement since the second week of July to free the nation from the fascist regime of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
 
As elsewhere in the country, the situation became extremely volatile in Rangpur after police shot dead Shaheed Abu Sayeed, a talented student of Begum Rokeya University, on July 16.
 
“At around 3 pm on July 19, I left home and hired a rickshaw to join the procession of the anti-discrimination movement with hundreds of students from Rangpur Zilla School premises,” Jibon said.
 
After reaching the adjoining area of Zilla School, Jibon found that the police had been firing tear gas shells on the procession of the anti-discrimination student-people movement.
 
He went to the nearby area for safety, hired another rickshaw and came to the city’s Grand Hotel Intersection area.
 
By this time, thousands of people came out and joined the processions of the anti-discrimination student-people mass movement at Grand Hotel Intersection area near the BNP Office like other places across Rangpur city.
 
“I joined the huge moving procession of the BNP, students and common people at Grand Hotel Intersection around 4 pm and marched through the Mini Super Market Office, the City Market and Zilla Parishad Office,” he said.
 
At that time, hundreds of the armed police forces and other law enforcement agencies were rushing violently towards the City Corporation Office, Raja Ram Mohan Market, SuperMarket and Paira Chattar areas from the Rangpur Police Lines barracks.
 
“Police started firing rubber bullets, tear gas shells and gunfire while armed cadres of Awami League and its associate bodies attacked the students, political activists and commoners in the massive student-people processions there,” Jibon said.
 
Guessing the severity of the situation, Jibon quickly entered the nearby Sadar Hospital Jam-e-Mosque when its Imam closed the door not to allow police to enter inside where many people took shelter for safety.
 
“As a severe situation erupted there following police firing and exchange of pelting stones between police and people, I moved behind and went to the Shishu Hospital near the Harijan community’s temple,” Jibon said.
 
Police forces soon surrounded the whole area where many people took shelter to avert police firing and arrests.
 
Jibon witnessed a young boy aged between 10 to 12 years of Haragachh area in Rangpur metropolis falling down on the ground after being shot at the thigh by the police near the Shishu Hospital.
 
Jiban said, “At around 4:45 pm, the police fired at least 10 rubber bullets at me from close range in front of a Harijan community temple hitting my head, hands and other parts of my body.”
 
One Abu Bakar Siddique, 26, a student of Carmichael College, who participated in the anti-discrimination student-people movement, rescued injured Jibon with the help of locals and sent him to Shapla Chattar Intersection by a rickshaw.
 
“While going to Shapla Chattar intersection by rickshaw, I informed my mother on my mobile phone that I had been shot by the police. My mother asked me why I had risked my life...I was coming to you my son...don't worry and be patient ...," Jiban said.
 
My mother Jamila Begum with her sister Ismat Ara Alo soon came to Shapla Chattar intersection and took me to the house of Dr Abdul Hakim of Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH) near the hospital in the city.
 
Jamila said, “Due to security reasons and to avoid police harassment, Dr Hakim suggested going to the private sector Deep Eye Care Foundation in Darshana instead of going to RpMCH.”
 
“After going there by rickshaw at 5:30 pm, we found that the Deep Eye Care Foundation was also closed to avoid the rush of many people with bullet injuries and police harassment,” she said.
 
Finding no other alternative, Jamila Begum took her son Jibon to RpMCH and admitted him there after 6 pm.
 
“Dr Habib provided necessary treatment to my son with utmost dedication at RpMCH and nurses and internee doctors also extended all-out support to collect medicines from outside,” Jamila said.    
 
Jibon said, “The doctor could remove one rubber bullet from my body while the other nine pellets remained inside. Of them, I clearly feel five pellets now with one inside the right eye where I feel pains all the time.”
 
After conducting B-scan and X-ray, Dr Habib released Jibon from RpMCH on the next day (July 20) and suggested to go to Deep Eye Care Foundation or Namira Hospital of Global Hospital in Rangpur city or to Dhaka for further treatment.
 
“Borrowing money from relatives, I somehow took my son to the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital at Dhaka on July 23,” Jamila said.
 
After getting treatments, Jibon was released from National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital on July 30 with a suggestion to go there again after 15 days for further treatments.
 
“But due to the financial crisis, I could not take Jibon there after 15 days," she said.
 
After a month in late August, the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital called Jibon to go there and meet a Nepalese female specialist doctor.
 
“Accordingly, I took Jibon there when the Nepalese and local doctors examined again, found the pellets inside the body with one inside the right eye and suggested Jibon to go there again after 15 days,” Jamila said.
 
“But, we couldn’t take Jibon to the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital anymore due to extreme financial hardships. Sometimes, we take Jibon to local hospitals when he feels extreme pains,” Jamila added.
 
She said, “It has become almost impossible to buy medicines and check-ups for Jibon and meet expenses amounting to Taka 15,000 per month for education and private tuitions of our son Jibon and daughter Rabeya.”
 
Jibon’s father Rabiul Islam said he has spent Taka four lakh and everything he had for the treatment of his son.
 
“My wife has borrowed Taka three lakh from relatives. We have no capacity to carry on treatment of our son,” Rabiul said, and urged the interim government to take immediate steps for conducting surgery to remove the pellet from the right eye of his son.
 
“So far, Joint Convener of Rangpur Metropolitan BNP Shahidul Islam Miju gave Taka 10,000 soon after the incident and Inspector General of Police Md Moynul Islam donated Taka 25,000 on July 26 to us,” Rabiul added.
 
Jibon said, “Doctor said the retina of my right eye has been damaged. The pellet should be removed immediately to save the eye. I felt extreme pains recently when my right eye became red and viscous liquid started to come out.”
 
Jibon expressed his desire to meet former student coordinator and General Secretary of the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation Md Sarjis Alam regarding his treatment and surgery on the right eye.
 
“But, because of the financial crisis, I can’t go to Dhaka,” he said.
 
Dr Rezwanul Hassan, Assistant Professor and Specialist in Surgical and Medical Vitreo Retina at Deep Eye care Foundation and Dr Md Shamsuzzaman, Phaco and Retina Surgeon at Samira Hospital in Rangpur suggested Jibon to undergo surgery at Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital in Dhaka immediately.