Mehedi Hasan. Photo: Collected

By Syed Altefat Hossain  

DHAK, Jan 25, 2025 (BSS) – Mehedi Hasan, an 18-year-old car workshop employee, became a tragic symbol of courage and determination, as he embraced martyrdom on July 19 in the Kajla area of Jatrabari in the capital during the anti-discrimination student movement.
 
Despite his family's pleas to stay home amid escalating violence on the streets, Mehedi’s unwavering resolve to stand with his “student brothers” against injustice eventually led to his untimely death.
 
Mehedi embraced martyrdom when members of the law enforcement agencies launched a massive crackdown on the anti-discrimination student movement that eventually turned into a student-people uprising from July 17, with the participation of people from all strata.
 
“My son joined the movement on July 17 and 18, but I forced him to come home on the night of July 18. As many people were being killed at that time we barred him from joining the movement,” Mehedi’s grief stricken mother Perveen Akter said.
 
She recalled Mehedi slept throughout the day on July 19, however, he woke up during the time of Azan for Asr prayers.
 
“After getting up from sleep, he asked me why I didn’t wake him up to join the movement. I told him that the situation was very bad in the street, therefore I didn’t call him,” Perveen recalled.
 
However, Mehedi’s resolve was unwavering. “When my student brothers are being killed on the streets, you are asking me to stay home. I am 18-year-old. Am I a minor still? Please, let me join the movement with them,” he replied to his mother.
 
At one stage, Mehedi’s father, Meher Ali locked the door of their rented house at Kutubkhali in the city’s Jatrabari area, but finally couldn’t stop him from joining the street protest.
 
“I must join the movement . . . if needed I will embrace martyrdom for the country,” Mehedi told his parents when they were creating obstacles on his way.
 
“We even kept him confined in the house, so that he couldn’t join the movement as there was indiscriminate firing on the street. But we couldn’t stop him,” said grieving Meher Ali, adding that he also warned him of sustaining bullet injuries.
 
Meher Ali recalled that before leaving the house, he had a shower and he stared at his mother in an unusual manner for a long time.
 
Later, he had a meal and wanted Taka 10 from his mother. But his mother could not give the money as she didn’t have any money at the time.
 
Perveen recalled, finally, Mehedi left the house after the Asr Azan.

 Just 10 to 15 minutes prior to the Magrib Azan, some children came to their house and informed that Mehedi sustained bullet injuries and was taken to a hospital in Shonir Akhra.
 
Sharing their frantic search to find Mehedi, she said they didn’t find Mehedi at the hospital in Shonir Akhra and searched for him at every hospital in Jatrabari area.
 
Later, they came to know that Mehedi was taken to the Dhaka Medical College (DMCH).
 
“But by the time we reached Dhaka Medical, my son was taken to the morgue. Hearing the news I was bewildered. I felt like the sky collapsed on my head,” Perveen said tearfully.
 
She, however, said as the body was kept at the morgue, they were not allowed to see the body; rather the morgue staff asked them to go to Jatrabari Police Station to collect the required document to receive the body.

When they went to the Jatrabari Police Station the next morning (July 20), she recalled the policemen behaved in an inhuman manner.
 
“The policemen scolded us . . . and said if we don’t leave the police station they will shoot us too,” Perveen recalled with heavy grief and said, however, they went to the police station in the evening again as a policeman asked them to go to the Shahbag Police Station.
 
She also recounted that when they went to the DMCH on Sunday morning (July 21) as per the instruction of Shahbag Police Station, they had to conduct a frantic search to identify the body in the morgue.
 
“Finally, with the help of a policeman there, we found my son’s body at a mortuary,” Mehedi’s grieving mother said in a sobbing tone.
 
Later, they received the body around 9pm on July 21 following the postmortem while Mehedi was laid to eternal rest at the Jurain graveyard on the same night.
 
Referring to eyewitnesses, Perveen said Mehedi sustained the bullet injuries when police and Awami League (AL) supporters were firing indiscriminately at the protesters. But they couldn’t confirm whose bullets hit Mehedi. 

However, according to his mother, Mehedi had sustained three bullet wounds to his left abdomen.
 
Born into a family with financial struggle, Mehedi’s life was defined by resilience and responsibility. His father, 49-year-old Meher Ali, now an auto-rickshaw puller, was earning a meager amount from waste collection from different households until his death. Mehedi’s mother Perveen Akter (35) is a housewife.
 
His family relied heavily on his contributions to sustain their household. As the second among four siblings, Mehedi shared the burden of supporting his family, especially since his father’s income was insufficient.
 
His elder sister Srabani is a married woman while his younger brothers- Ramjan Ali (14) joined a work at a door workshop after his death to support the family, and Yeasin (9) is studying at Jatrabari Boro (Qawmi) Madrasah.

“Mehedi was the eldest among our three sons. He was the main contributor to our family,” said Perveen with a heavy heart weighed with grief.
 
Mehedi’s death left his family distraught and forced his 14-year-old brother to join the work at a door workshop to support the family.

Mehedi’s mother, however, said they got Taka 5 lakh from the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation and Taka 2 lakh from Jamaat-e-Islami, which helped them meet the needs in the aftermath of Mehedi’s demise.

Mehedi’s father said with the money they got from Jamaat, he bought an auto-rickshaw and left the unhygienic job of waste collection from different households.
 
The family demands capital punishment of those who involved with killing of  Mehedi.