by Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, Dec 8, 2024 (BSS) – While receiving treatment at the hospital amid arrest fears, the family of bullet-hit Sahedul Islam Sagar, 27, was inhumanly forced by the house owner, an Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), to vacate his rented house.
 
After getting treatment from the hospital and partial recovery, Sagar joined his four-year old job at the Abul Khayer Tobacco Company Office in Alamnagar area of Rangpur city.
 
After a few days, he had to leave the job in protest against the discrimination done to him by not paying salary for the treatment period in the hospital.
 
Earlier, on July 19, Sagar was admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH) after being shot in the throat while participating in the anti-discrimination student-people movement in Rangpur city.
 
All these things had been happening to Sagar, his wife Nushrat Ahammed Nishe, 23, and their only daughter Subat Islam Sarah, 4, since he received bullet-injury and was admitted to the hospital.
 
The poverty-stricken young couple never thought to witness such an inhuman attitude and drastic decline in social and human values which gave them a very bitter experience about society.
 
Talking to BSS, Sagar's wife Nishe said that everything was out of her control ever since Sagar was injured in police firing.
 
She couldn’t bear the stress of her husband's surgery and treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH) amid an extreme financial crisis.
 
The police were outside the hospital and searching for Sagar to arrest him for taking part regularly in the movement since July 10.
 
Simultaneously, the emotional abuse inflicted on them by the family members of the landlord ASP of their rented house severely disturbed Nishe and her husband mentally and made their life miserable.
 
Nishe saw only darkness around her and she had almost gone crazy.
 
The couple with their daughter had been living in the rented house owned by ASP Sharif Al Rajeeb in Alhaj Nagar area of Rangpur city.
 
ASP Rajeeb was serving in Natore district police during the July uprising.
 
At that time, ASP Rajeeb was living in his Rangpur residence for treatment purposes when Sagar was injured in police firing.
 
In this situation, ASP Rajeeb through his wife asked Nishe after three days since her husband Sagar was admitted to the hospital to vacate their rented house in a day.
 
When Nishe wanted to know the reason, the ASP's wife told Nishe that her 'terrorist' husband Sagar got bullet-injury and police and RAB were searching for him to arrest.
 
After repeated requests made by Nishe, the ASP’s wife allowed Nishe to leave their house in two days on the condition that her 'terrorist' husband would never come to their home again.
 
Nishe had to go to cook food for her husband and go to him in the hospital every morning leaving her minor daughter with her mother in Jumma Para area of Rangpur city.
 
“I became totally puzzled. However, I somehow managed to arrange another house on rent just opposite to that ASP’s house. I shifted our belongings to the new house in two days,” Nishe said.
 
“After few days, the ASP’s wife, freedom fighter father Abdul Halim and mother motivated the owner of the newly rented house to drive us away from there too,” Nishe said.
 
“Accordingly, the new house owner told us to leave the house. I wanted to know the reason again when he informed me that the ASP’s father and mother created pressure on him to drive us from that area,” said Nishe.
 
A disheartened Nishe had to find another house in the same area and paid rent for one month in advance to its owner. She was supposed to be shifted there after 15 days on October 1.
 
"But unfortunately, on the instructions of the ASP, his father and mother again persuaded the owner of the newly rented house not to let us live there and return the house rent taken from us in advance," Nishe said.
 
Accordingly, the owner of the newly rented house returned the rent taken in advance to Nishe.
 
“I wanted to file a case many times against the ASP, his wife, father and mother for torturing us mentally violating our human rights and social dignity” Nishe said, adding that she still considers filing a case for justice.
 
Nishe said, “The ASP perhaps considers himself as a king or powerful like a president or a prime minister so that he and his wife don’t place their feet on the soil. While residing in his house, he didn’t allow us to talk to him.”
 
Terming the ASP as a ‘Quota ASP’ and associate of the fascist Sheikh Hasina regime, both Nishe and Sagar urged the interim government to bring the ASP and his family members under the law for mentally torturing them.
 
While talking to BSS at their home in the city's Shantinagar Khamar area, Sagar, his parents and family members narrated different episodes that happened with Sagar and his family.
 
Sagar is the eldest of two brothers and a sister in their family. Their family lives in a tiny thatched house with a tin roof on just two and a half decimals of land they have.
 
His father, Shafiul Islam, 55, is a rickshaw puller who has been selling jackfruit leaves carried in his rickshaw for the past 30 years. His daily income stands between Taka 200 and Taka 500.
 
Sagar’s mother Shahnaz Begum, 45, is a housewife. Along with managing her family, she cooks in the students’ mess for the last 12 years and earns Taka 3,500 a month.
 
His only younger sister Shirin Akhter Sheela, 22, was married off. She lives with her husband Suman Islam, 24, in the Soreartol area of the city.
 
After passing the Dakhil examinations in 2019, Hasan Rabbi, 20, only younger brother of Sagar, couldn’t continue his study due to the extreme financial crisis and outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic.
 
Rabbi also got married with Nahida, 19, of the Muslimpara area in the city three months ago. He is currently undergoing training at a private computer training center.
 
Sagar said he had a dream to serve in the Bangladesh Army since childhood. But, due to the financial crisis in the family, he couldn’t achieve that standard of education.
 
He had a two-year break of study too after passing SSC examinations in 2015.
 
“After passing the HSC examinations in 2019, I married Nushrat Ahammed Nishe following a love affair. Nishe just passed the SSC examination in 2019. She is a housewife and mother of a daughter now”, said Sagar.
 
Nishe’s father Nayeem Ahmmed is a businessman of Jummapara area in Rangpur city.
 
While recalling the memories of that July 19, Sagar said he woke up a little late at 10 am that day.
 
He had a plan with his younger brother Rabbi to participate in the previously announced procession of anti-discrimination student movement at 3 pm from the Zilla School ground.
 
After martyrdom of Shaheed Abu Sayeed, a talented student of Begum Rokeya University, in police firing on July 16, the situation became extremely volatile in Rangpur like elsewhere in the country
 
After becoming fresh, Sagar told his wife that he was going to the mosque to offer the Friday’s Juma prayers.
 
“Okay Sagar. Don’t go to the procession today. You have a daughter, what will happen to her if something wrong happens to you? The situation is very dire because the police have aggressively taken over the city,” Nishe had pleaded with Sagar that day.
 
Then Sagar asked Nishe, "If he doesn't go to the procession, how will the quota system be abolished and talented youth get jobs? How will our daughter get a job based on merit after completing her education?"
 
“Anyhow, I told Nishe that I will go to my father’s house after offering Juma prayers. I will have lunch there and then return home” said Sagar.
 
After offering Juma prayers in a mosque, Sagar went to his father’s house where his younger brother Rabbi was waiting for him as planned previously.
 
Their mother then forbade both Sagar and Rabbi not to go to participate in the procession saying that the situation in the city is very dangerous.
 
She asked her both sons to have lunch with her. However, both Sagar and Rabbi didn't eat lunch that day.
 
“Tactfully, Rabbi went out first and then I left the house. We joined the procession at 2:45 pm from Khamar Mour point,” Sagar said.
 
The procession was heading towards Zilla School. After reaching the Over Bridge point near the City Market and Zilla Parishad Community Center, Sagar found hundreds of aggressive armed police.
 
“Using loudspeakers, students from our procession were repeatedly requesting police not to open fire as the procession will go to Zilla School peacefully as per their previously announced plan,” Sagar said.  
 
Then, the armed police forces were rushing violently towards the Zilla Parishad Community Center, City Corporation Office, Over Bridge, City Market and Raja Ram Mohan Market areas from the Rangpur Police Lines.
 
“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,” Sagar said.
 
Sagar witnessed two persons around him being shot dead in the Over Bridge area and many others injured in the indiscriminate police firing there.
 
Understanding the sternness of the situation, Sagar tried to go back when a severe situation erupted there following police firing and exchange of pelting stones between police and people.
 
Sagar said, “At around 4:45 pm, the police fired at me hitting my throat and other parts of my body at the Over Bridge area.”
 
At this time, my friend Khairul Islam, 25, of Lalbag area, who participated in the procession, rescued me with the help of locals and sent me to RpMCH by a motorcycle of another person amid adverse situations.
 
“Khairul admitted me to RpMCH with bleeding from my throat and other parts of my body at 5:30 pm. The doctors, nurses, internee doctors and staff were very cooperative. They arranged tests and everything for my surgery there,” Sagar said.
 
Head of the Department of ENT of RpMCH and Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist and Head Neck Surgeon Professor Dr. A. M. Al-Rabbani conducted surgery at the throat of Sagar successfully.
 
“Later, Professor Al-Rabbani told me that I was lucky to be alive. The bullet pierced my throat transversely and exited with a severe injury. If the bullet had hit my throat directly at a 90-degree angle, I would have died on the spot,” Sagar said, quoting the doctor.
 
Nishe said, “Professor Al-Rabbani provided necessary treatment to my husband with utmost dedication at RpMCH and nurses and internee doctors also extended all-out support. We are grateful to all of them.”
 
Professor Al-Rabbani suggested Sagar to take medicines regularly and undergo following check-ups regularly until he fully recovers.
 
Sagar said he couldn’t take prescribed medicines regularly due to the financial crisis. He feels severe itching and periodic pains inside the surgery place.
 
“I’m planning to meet the doctor at RpMCH this week for a check-up,” he added.
 
Meanwhile, the RpMCH authority released Sagar after surgery and nine-day treatment on July 27 at 10 am.
 
The police were enquiring everyday about the health condition of Sagar while he was undergoing treatment in the hospital for arresting him.
 
Therefore, nurses and other staff from Ward 17 released Sagar within minutes to avoid the eyes of law enforcement and helped him leave the hospital via another exit route.
 
“As soon as Sagar left the hospital, the police rushed to ward 17 to arrest him. But, Sagar had already left the hospital and taken shelter at his sister’s house to avoid police arrest,” Nishe said.
 
“So far, we have received no assistance from the interim government or any other organisation or persons,” Sagar said, adding that they had to borrow about Taka three lakh for his treatment.
 
Jobless Sagar and Nishe, who are now living in a rented house in Kotpara Parker Mour area, urged the government to provide Sagar with a job, if possible in the army, as per his educational qualification so that he could take care of their family.
 
"Above all, we want ASP Rajeeb's trial to ensure justice in a newly independent Bangladesh free from discrimination. He made our lives more miserable by harassing us while we were in a very dangerous situation since July 19," the couple said.
 
Sagar’s father Shafiul Islam and mother Shahnaz Begum requested the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to extend financial assistance and provide a job to their son Sagar for the welfare of their family.