Md Jihad Hasan. Photo : Collected

By Syed Altefat Hossain 

DHAKA, Jan 16, 2025 (BSS) – Every time, as the time of offering a salah (prayers) come, Kuhinor Begum waits by the door subconsciously as she still thinks that her son would knock the door to enter the house after offering prayers at the mosque.
 
Seventeen-year-old Md Jihad Hasan, the second among Kuhinor’s three children, used to offer prayers regularly at mosque, but he was “shot dead by police” in front of Jatrabari Police Station on August 5 when he joined the victory procession following the fall of the nearly 16-year fascist regime. However, his mother still feels his existence around her.
 
“I still feel the existence of my son . . . he used to take a long time to perform prayers . . . I still feel my son is offering prayers in front of me.
 
“I think my son will come back. So, I wait for him standing beside the door as before. I couldn’t go anywhere thinking that my son would come,” Kuhinor, who is in her mid 40s, shared her endless anguish.
 
Grief stricken mother of Jihad, a 12th grader at Mahbubur Rahman Mollah College, burst into tears while sharing memories of her beloved son with this correspondent at their rented house in the Sheikhdi area of Shanir Akhra in the city’s Jatrabari area recently.
 
As Jihad was actively participating in the anti-discrimination student movement from the beginning of the campaign, Kuhinor recalled she begged her son to stay home, fearing for his safety.
 
She even scolded and punished him on July 17 in hopes of dissuading him from attending the protests. But Jihad’s response was firm: “When our brothers are being killed on the streets and many are getting injured, should we stay home at this time?”
 
Kuhinor recalled despite her strong stance against his participation in the movement, Jihad joined the street protest on July 18 and sustained rubber bullet injuries.
 
On August 4, just the day before he embraced martyrdom, Jihad promised his mother that he would only join the movement for one more day. Tragically, Kuhinor didn’t know that that day would be his final day.
 
On August 5, Kuhinor recalled, Jihad woke up around 10.30am and had breakfast with puffed rice and mango. After breakfast he laughed and played with his younger brother, 14-year-old Tahnin Hasan Hamim, a ninth grader.
 
“My son was a very introvert person. He used to smile without making any noise. But on August 5, he laughed with his younger brother in a different way, which we never saw,” Kuhinor said in a sobbing tone.

She, however, recounted before leaving the house for Zohr prayers on that day, Jihad asked her to boil an egg for lunch and left his mobile phone behind. Who knew that it was his silent farewell!
 
Referring to an eyewitness, Shanto, his family members said after prayers Jihad joined the victory procession in front of Jatrabari Police Station and he was at the forefront of the procession under the Mayor Hanif Flyover at that time “he was shot at close range by police members”. A bullet pierced through his forehead and instantly took his life.
 
Jihad’s mother said he was deeply religious and offered his prayers at the mosque. He also recited the Holy Quran and performed Tahajjud (mid-night prayers) regularly. Even when his mother asked him to offer prayers at home, he would insist on going to the mosque, saying it gave him peace.

Despite his introvert nature, Jihad’s mother recalled his selflessness: he saved his pocket money to help street children, supported financially struggling relatives, and even used his own money to arrange iftar at local mosque during Ramadan.
 
“My son was sympathetic to poor people. My younger sister, who is living near our residence, is financially weak. Therefore, whenever I cooked delicious food, he used to ask me to give the food to them . . . he had a dream to assist his aunty after getting a job,” Kuhinor shared with a heavy heart.
 
Jihad’s father, Md Alam Mia (50), recalled that he dreamed of changing lives, chasing aspirations, and building a brighter future.
 
Alam, a Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) lineman, said Jihad’s ambition was to pursue higher education in the UK and fulfill his family’s wishes.
 
“As I expressed my wish to see him as an admin cadre officer, he promised to fulfill my wish once he completes his graduation,” he said in a composed tone while he was trying to control his emotion.
 
Alam said as Jihad was preparing himself for HSC exam of 2025, he along with Jihad went to his cousin’s house on July 7 last, who came from London, and talked to him over Jihad’s education in the UK.
 
Apart from that Jihad dreamt of building a house with a rooftop garden for his mother, a dedicated gardener, and buying a car for his father. But above all, he wanted to relieve his father from his job and shoulder the family’s responsibility as soon as he could as his father is getting old.
 
Jihad’s immediate elder sister, Afrin Binte Alam, said he was close to her. “As we grew up together, he shared everything with me,” Afrin said, a third year honors student at Begum Badrunnessa Government Girls' College.
 
Recalling their shared plans to study abroad together, she said, “My brother used to say if we go abroad, you will cook my favorite foods for me”.
 
“His memories now haunt me every day. Before his death on Monday (August 5), he asked me to cook one of his favorite foods next Friday. The next Friday came, but he was not among us,” Afrin, who lives with her husband near her father’s residence, said in a sobbing tone.
 
Recounting that she still feels her brother’s existence, she said, “Now whenever I enter his room I talk to myself- Bhai I am at your room. But your room is now empty”.  
 
Afrin recalled that 10 days before his death, Jihad dreamt of dying and asked her if it was a premonition.
 
“After seeing the dream, he asked me whether he would really die. I replied no. But we could not extract the meaning,” she shared with endless grief.
 
Tanvir Ahmed, Afrin’s husband, recalled his brother-in-law was very optimistic over the student movement. He shared that one day Jihad told them the student movement would yield a positive result soon.
 
But the tragedy is that even though the movement was successful, Jihad could not reap the benefits of victory.
 
 
Recalling their hectic search for Jihad on August 5, Tanvir said as Jihad didn’t return home after Zohr prayers, they thought he might have joined the victory procession and went to Shahbag or Ganabhaban.
 
“When Jihad didn’t return home even after Magrib prayers, we became anxious and we started desperate search for him,” he said, adding, around 9:30pm, Jihad’s friend Nayem saw a devastating Facebook post with a picture of Jihad’s lifeless body with the caption “the identity of this boy is not confirmed. His body was kept in front of Dania Boro Masjid near AK School and College”.
 
 Nayem immediately informed the family, confirming their worst nightmare.
 
“Later, we went to the mosque and found the people were preparing to give him a burial shower while I identified my brother-in-law under the harsh beam of a flashlight,” Tanvir, a freelancer, said tearfully.
 
Around 11pm, the grief-stricken family carried his body home on their shoulders, as no vehicles were available on the streets on that night, after holding the first namaj-e-janaza at the Dania Boro Masjid.
 
“Later, we took the body to Jihad’s ancestral home at Daudkandi in Cumilla and laid him to  eternal rest at their village graveyard around 8.30am on August 6 following his second namaj-e-janaza there,” Tanvir said.
 
The grief stricken family demands capital punishment of the killers.
 
 “I want capital punishment of those responsible for killing my son. I want to see the trial in my lifetime,” said Jihad’s weeping mother.