By Syed Altefat Hossain

DHAKA,  Feb 12, 2025 (BSS) – Mawlana Mohammad Khubaib, a 24-year-old Qawmi madrasah teacher, joined the victory procession in the city’s Jatrabari area on August 5 in the last year following the collapse of nearly 16-year fascist regime.

But his participation in the victory procession that followed Sheikh Hasina's ousting, in face of the student people uprising, turned into a heartbreaking tragedy as he was shot dead on the backside of Jatrabari Police Station on Demra Road.

According to a family member, Khubaib used to join the street protest since the beginning of the quota reform movement. Before August 5, he sustained bullet injuries, but didn’t leave the street.

“I used to discourage him from joining the street protest when members of law enforcement agencies were firing bullets at the protesters indiscriminately . . . but he didn’t listen to me,” Khubaib’s brother-in-law (fourth sister’s husband) Junaed Hossain told BSS.

Junaed, a teacher at Jamea Islamia Ibrahimia Ishaqia at Kajlarpar in Jatrabari, said Khubaib completed his education from the same madrasah and joined as a teacher recently.

Born into a family deeply rooted in faith, Khubaib was the ninth among his 11 siblings, including six sisters. His father, Mawlana Abdur Rahman (70) is serving as the chief (Muhtamim) of the Madrasah while his mother Abida Khatun (60) is a housewife.

Of the five brothers, four including Khubaib are Madrasah teachers while their eldest brother Masudur Rahman is a businessman. Hailing from Rupganj of Narayanganj, the family has been living in Kajlarpar area for a long time.

Khubaib’s family named him after Hazrat Khubaib bin Adiyy Ansari (RA), a revered companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who embraced martyrdom for his unwavering faith.

“Inspired by his namesake, Khubaib used to express his wish to embrace martyrdom,” Jonaed recalled, saying Khubaib used to glorify the concept of sacrifice (martyrdom) in his sermons and daily conversations.

He recalled that on August 4, just a day before his martyrdom, Khubaib sought dua from his mother so that Allah would accept his wish.

Recalling the memory of Khubaib on August 5, Jonaed said his brother-in-law, Khubaib, used to take rest after having lunch every day. But on that day after Johr prayers, he had lunch and went out of the house asking his mother to pray for him.

“At that time, my mother-in-law and I debarred him from going outside as police were firing indiscriminately at the people on the street,” Jonaed recounted, saying Khubaib assured them that nothing will happen to him.

Khubaib and his father’s driver, Sakib, together went to Jatrabari to join the victory procession.

When the news of the fall of Sheikh Hasina regime spread widely, Jonaed recounted, around 4pm, they went to Jatrabari to join the victory procession.

“When we reached Jatrabari intersection, a student of our Madrasah told me that Khubaib sustained bullet injury. But he didn’t know where Khubaib was taken,” he said. A bullet pierced through the right side of his stomach.  

Eyewitness Yeasin Arafat, a shopkeeper in front of the Madrasah, recounted the horrific events of that afternoon.

“After getting the news of the fall of the government, I along with many people went to Jatrabari to join the victory procession. But before reaching Jatrabari through the Demra Road, around 3.30pm, we saw police firing indiscriminately at the crowds,” he recalled.

Arafat said at that time Khubaib and their driver were standing a short distance from him.

He recalled that just 15 minutes later, around 3.45pm, he saw a man wearing police uniform fired a bullet at Khubaib from the Mayor Hanif Flyover and he fell onto the ground.  

Amid the ongoing gunfire, Arafat said, it was impossible to rescue Khubaib immediately. Thus, he informed Khubaib’s family through another person.

Khubaib’s brother-in-law, Jonaed, said getting the news, he and Khubaib’s eldest brother, Masudur Rahman, rushed to different hospitals to find him.

After a frantic search for about one hour, Jonaed said he came to know that Khubaib was taken to Mugda Medical. But reaching at Mugda Medical, they found Sakib, the driver of Khubaib’s father, with whom he joined the movement.

Sakib also sustained bullet injury at that time. But he could not confirm where Khubaib was taken. Therefore, after ensuring primary treatment for Sakib, Jonaed said, they went out to find Khubaib.

After another desperate search in some more hospitals, a staff of a private hospital suggested them to go to Dhaka Medical, saying he saw many bodies of madrasah students had reportedly been taken there.

“Later, we went to the Dhaka Medical and after a hectic search for 45 minutes, I found Khubaib’s body among about 50-60 bodies in a room beside the emergency service,” Jonaed recalled.

He said, later, they received the body with a token instead of any death certificate from the hospital and buried him at the Madrasah graveyard at Kajlarpar on the same night.

The family, however, demands justice for killing Khubaib and countless others who embraced martyrdom in the uprising.