By Syed Altefat Hossain 

DHAKA, Jan 10, 2025 (BSS) – Md Abdur Hannan, a 55-year-old carpenter , met a tragic end on August 5 last year as police opened fire indiscriminately on the jubilant people as they were celebrating victory, following the downfall of autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.

He was “shot dead by police” around 3.15pm in front of Jatrabari Police Station, leaving behind a shattered family struggling for survival. A bullet pierced through the right side of his head and went out through the left side.

Hannan’s mourning wife, Kamala Akter (38), recounted the heartbreaking events of that fateful day in an interview with BSS at her Bibirbagicha residence in the city’s Jatrabari area recently. 

She recalled that her husband left home around 3pm to join the victory procession, hearing the news that Sheikh Hasina fled the country -- ending her nearly 16-year-long fascist regime -- in the face of anti-discrimination student movement.  

“My husband had left his mobile phone at home but carried his other documents, including phone number. Before leaving, he told me he would have lunch with us after returning,” grieving Kamala burst into tears as she shares about her last words with husband.

But their world turned upside down just half an hour later. “Around 3:30pm, a student made a call to my husband’s phone with the devastating news -- he had been shot -- which emerged as a bolt from the blue for me,” Kamala said in a sobbing tone. 

She said immediately they rushed to the spot and took her husband (Abdur Hannan) to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where the duty doctor declared him ‘brought dead’. 

“Later, we received the body from the hospital with just a token and laid him to eternal rest at Dhalpur graveyard in Jatrabari that night,” Kamala shared.

A video of August 5 that went viral on social media showed police were coming out from Jatrabari Police Station in troops, hunting down the protesters on the street and shooting them like birds while eyewitnesses said they saw many corpses lying here and there across Jatrabari street on that day.  

Since, Hannan was the sole breadwinner of his four-member family, his martyrdom in the uprising plunged his family members into financial hardship. Kamala, now a widow, is struggling to manage livelihood for the family members including her two children — 28-year-old son Tanvir Ahmed and 22-year-old daughter Tanjina Akter Sohana.

She said her son is searching for a stable job after completing his graduation while her daughter could not even appear for SSC exams due to poverty.

To support the family, Tanvir took a small job after his father embraced martyrdom, which pays only Taka 10,000 per month, an amount insufficient to cover even their house rent of Taka 13,000.

“We have not been able to pay house rent for three months,” Kamala said, her voice heavy with despair.

She is now worried about her daughter Tanjina’s marriage due to financial hardship.    

“I am bewildered thinking of how to get my daughter married off since my husband was our only support,” Kamala said tearfully.

Hailing from Naria Upazila in Shariatpur, Hannan came from a landless and impoverished background. His father worked as a carpenter in the city, a trade that Hannan inherited.

“My father-in-law had been residing in the Jatrabari area and worked as a carpenter while my husband was born and brought up here,” Kamala said, adding, her father-in-law Md Abdus Sobhan died when Hannan was very small. Her mother-in-law Nur Jahan Begum, however, also died many years back.

Kamala said her husband used to go to the anti-discrimination student movement and recalled that despite their struggles, Hannan remained a loyal supporter of the BNP and participated actively in political movements.

Hannan’s tragic death was not the first time political violence left its mark on his life. In 2009, after Awami League assumed office, Hannan lost sight in his left eye when police opened fire during a BNP program in Nayapaltan here. 

“The doctor said he could regain his eyesight with surgery costing Taka 1-1.5 lakh. But we couldn’t afford it. It is a matter of regret for me that my husband embraced martyrdom with his one eye blind,” Kamala said tearfully.

However, their financial challenges meant Hannan continued his work as a woodworker, despite partial blindness, to keep the family afloat. His death has now left his wife and children in a precarious situation, reliant on the kindness of relatives.

“Since my father died many years back, now I have no place to take shelter. I am now depending on the support provided by my two brothers and relatives, who themselves are struggling to manage their livelihood,” Kamala said.  

Kamala said they are yet to receive any government assistance while they were given Taka 2 lakh from Jamaat-e-Islami, which she deposited in a bank for her daughter’s marriage. However, this is far from enough to secure their future.

“I request the government to offer a good job to my son and help with my daughter’s marriage. It would be a godsend for us,” Kamala appealed.

She urged the government to stand by the families like hers -- who have lost their loved ones in the July Uprising -- for immediate financial and emotional support.

Kamala demanded justice for her husband and others martyrs who were killed during the uprising.

“The killers must be held accountable. Every father, mother, brother, sister, child, and wife, who has suffered loss, wants to see the killers punished. I want to see the perpetrators walk to the gallows,” Kamala added.