Rubel Islam . Photo : Collected

NILPHAMARI, Jan 16, 2025 (BSS) – Although more than five months have passed, martyr Rubel's mother is still confined with intolerable shock as her beloved son embraced martyrdom on August 5, 2024 following downfall of autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.       

The lamenting mother recalled that Rubel used to say, "Amma and Abba, don't worry. It's my responsibility to educate my brother and build a house. I will ensure that my younger brother gets a good education and grows up well. Then, our home will be filled with happiness."
 
 Rickshaw puller Md. Rafiqul Islam (50) and housewife Mst Mini Khatun (45) used to feel great relief hearing their son's reassuring words. Encouraged by his promise, they decided to leave their village and move to Dhaka. In the city, their son found work in a garment factory in the Adabor area, while his father began working as a rickshaw puller.
 
Mini Khatun had dream of a beautiful future as her husband and son were earning enough. But on August 5, a bullet shattered all their dreams and hopes.
 
On the fateful day, Rubel Islam (19) took part in the anti-discrimination movement. Around 11 am, a spirited procession reached the Adabor Police Station, with Rubel leading from the front. At that moment, he was shot and rushed to the hospital. Rubel succumbed to his injuries and breathed his last on August 7 while receiving treatment at a hospital.
 
Martyr Rubel Islam hailed from Dhobadanga Arajipara village of Gorgram union in Nilphamari Sadar upazila.  His dream was to earn money and give his younger brother the opportunity to learn and get an education.
 
He had also plan to buy a house and build a permanent address for his family. For this, he took a job in a garment factory in Dhaka. He was moving towards fulfilling his dream. He was educating his younger brother Md. Roni Islam, who is studying in class six. To fulfill his dream, he used to live with his parents in the Geneva Camp area of Adabor, Dhaka.
 
Recalling that fateful day, his mother, Mini Khatun, shared, "As he was leaving home, he told me, 'Mother, my younger brother's school tuition fee has been overdue for three months. The madrasa teacher called and informed me. I'll make sure to pay the fee anyway.' But my son never returned."
 
Father Md. Rafiqul Islam narrated that Rubel Islam worked in a garment factory in the Adabor area and as he had night shifts, he used to return home each morning. After dropping Rubel at home, he would head out to work as a rickshaw puller. On August 5, as Rubel was late in returning home, he called around 9 am to check on him. Later, when he returned home, he learnt that his son had joined the movement around 11 am.
 
Recalling the events of that day, he said, "My son told me over the phone that he would be home shortly. After that, I went out to work as a rickshaw puller. At 3:30 pm, I received the news that my son had been shot while participating in the procession in front of the Adabor Police Station. I immediately went to several hospitals and finally found out that he was already going through surgery."
 
Rafiqul said that while receiving treatment, his son passed away at City Care General Hospital in Shyamoli on August 7, around 9:30 am. Later, the body was brought back to the village home and laid to rest in the family graveyard at approximately 9:30 pm on the same day.
 
According to family sources, martyr Rubel Islam was the third child in a family of two brothers and three sisters. He completed up to the seventh grade. His three sisters are married, and his younger brother, Roni Islam, is currently in the sixth grade at a local madrasa. Roni had been living as a resident student at the madrasa due to the family's stay in Dhaka.
 
Following the loss of their only breadwinner, Rubel Islam, the family has been forced to return to their village. Without a home of their own, they are now living with their younger son in a house built on someone else's land.
 
Regarding the various forms of assistance, his father, Rafiqul Islam, stated that he received Taka 25,000 for bringing the body, while Taka 30,000 from the district administration, Taka 1 lakh from the As-Sunna Foundation, Taka 1.5 lakh from the Jamaat, and Taka 5 lakh from the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation. He used Taka 1 lakh of that money to cover medical and other expenses.
 
Gorgram Union BNP General Secretary Matiur Rahman said, "We’re providing support to the family of martyr Rubel Islam. On our recommendation, his father was given a job by Engineer Ahsan Habib Lelin, the chairman of the Nilsagar Group in the area. We’re doing everything possible to ease their suffering."
 
Former Gorgram Union Parishad Chairman Reazul Islam added, "The family is in a state of complete helplessness. The untimely death of their son has only deepened their hardship. We all want to stand by them and help them lead a decent life."