Md Emon. -Photo: Collected

 
By Syed Altefat Hossain
 
DHAKA, Feb 17, 2025 (BSS) – Md Emon’s death in the July 
uprising left his three-member family -- his mother, 
pregnant wife and a five-year-old son -- in distraught 
as the family is now staring at a bleak future unable to 
find a way to survive.
 
Emon, a 26-year-old rubber factory worker, “was shot dead” on July 19 
on Dhaka-Chattogram highway near Rayerbag bus-stop during the anti-
discrimination student movement that ousted Sheikh Hasina, ending her 
nearly 16 years of autocratic rule on August 5 last year.
 
Emon’s widow Munsuma, a 24-year-old garment worker, was one and 
half months pregnant at the time, when he embraced martyrdom in the 
uprising. Masuma was continuing her job with her pregnancy after her 
husband’s death finding no means to manage daily meals for her three-
member family along with her mother-in-law Jusna Begum.

 
“I started working at a garment factory two to three months before my 
husband’s martyrdom to help the family as he was sick then. But, his 
demise forced me to continue the job during pregnancy,” Masuma said.
 
She, however, has been forced to leave her job one and a half months 
before, as her delivery time was near.
 
“We are now going through a dire situation as we have no income 
source now. Even, I don’t know how I will afford the costs during my 
delivery,” a reflection of uncertainty was observed in Masuma’s face.
 
Emon’s mother Jusna (45), however, is now trying to manage the 
livelihood working as a day laborer.       
 
Hailing from Karimganj Upazila of Kishoreganj district, Emon’s family is 
inherently homeless and landless while all of his three brothers grew up 
in slums in the capital.
 
Visiting Emon’s family recently, this correspondent found that they are 
living in a tin-shed shanty having a makeshift partition in the middle of 
the room at Matuail Dakkhinpara in the city.
 
Emon’s mother Jusna Begum said they have to pay Taka 4,000 as 
house rent while a handsome amount is spent for Emon’s son Md Ifran, 
who is a  nursery student at a local madrasah. 
 
“After my daughter-in-law left her job, I have been forced to work on a 
daily basis. But it is not enough for running the family,” she added.  
 
Noting that she has two other sons living in different places with their 
families, Jusna said, “I am living with the family of my youngest son 
Emon while my eldest son Sohag is living in Chattogram and second 
son Sojib in Zurain with their own families”.
 
Since her two sons were financially weak, while Emon had a good job 
and earned a handsome salary. “Therefore, he (Emon) kept me with 
him,” Jusna said in a heavy voice.
 
However, an uncertainty was reflected in the face of Emon’s mother and 
wife as the cruel fate forced the upcoming baby to arrive on the earth as 
a posthumous orphan.
 
“The fate of my upcoming grandchild is that it will be born as an orphan,” 
said the weeping mother of Emon while his mourning wife said, “I don’t 
know what is waiting for my upcoming baby”.
 
The family is now concerned about their near future.
 
“We don’t know how we will bear the cost when my daughter-in-law will 
give birth to her baby,” she sought cooperation from the government in 
bringing up Emon’s child and run the family as well.
 
The family is yet to get any assistance from the July Shaheed Smrity 
Foundation. They, however, received Taka 2 lakh from Jamaat-e-Islami, 
with which they met the family needs after Emon’s death.
 
Recalling Emon’s fatal incident, his mother said Emon was shot when he 
was returning home from his workplace with his wage.
 
“On July 19, he left the house at the time of Asr prayers for his workplace 
to collect his wage as he had no money to buy even daily essentials on 
that day. But, when he was returning with his wage, he suffered a bullet 
injury on his chest near Rayerbag bus-stop,” Jusna said.
 
Recalling the memory she said a day before his demise, Emon had 
informed her that 19 people were killed on July 18 while she asked him 
not to join the movement as he was their only resort.
 
“My son was not involved in politics. He was the only breadwinner of the 
family. But a bullet destroyed the family,” Jusna said in a heavy voice, 
but could not confirm who shot his son to death.
 
She said soon after Emon was hit by the bullet, one of his colleagues, 
who also went to collect wages with him, informed Emon’s brother-in-law 
over phone.
 
Emon’s colleague and some protesting students took him to Dhaka 
Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where the on-duty doctor declared 
him dead; she said adding that being informed, she and her second son 
Sojib rushed to the hospital but found Emon dead.
 
Recalling the harassment to get Emon’s body from the hospital, she said 
they received the body three days later around 1.30am on July 22 as the 
hospital authorities and police did not help them, rather they wanted to 
hide the body.
Jusna said when her second son Sojib went to Kadamtali Police Station 
for help to get the body from DMCH, a policeman told him, “Leave the 
Thana within five minutes. Otherwise, we will shoot you too”.
 
“Later, my son went to Jatrabari Police Station, but didn’t get any help. 
Finally, we received the body by registering a general diary with Pakistan 
Math Thana (Shahbag Police Station) following the postmortem,” 
bereaved Jusna said, adding, Emon was laid to rest at Matuail 
Graveyard. 
 
She also said that they had to spend a handsome amount of money to 
release the body from the hospital.
 
“We had no money in hand as Emon’s wage was deposited in his bKash 
account on his Smartphone, which was stolen by someone after he was 
hit by the bullet. Therefore, my second son Sojib borrowed Taka 30,000 
and spent the entire amount in different places to get the body of Emon,” 
Jusna said.
 
She said even they were forced to bring the body by an ambulance 
provided by DMCH employees’ syndicate with a high price.
 
Noting that they could not withdraw the money from Emon’s bKash 
account as they are totally blind about the technology, she said, “When 
we called my son’s phone number, the person received the phone 
several times and told he will give the mobile back to us. But he didn’t 
give it”.

When asked whether Emon’s name was enlisted among the martyrs of 
student-people uprising, his mother said they know nothing in this 
regard, but many people collected documents from them.
Talking about her struggles in bringing up her three sons, Jusna said, “I 
endured unbearable pain to raise my sons as their father- Ismat Ali- died 
when they were very little”.
 
 
She can remember that Emon was about five-year-old when his father 
died.
 
“Since my husband’s death, I raised my sons working as a day laborer 
(by cutting soil) in Dhaka while I am living in the capital for more than 30 
years since my wedding to Ismat Ali,” Jusna said in a heavy voice.
 
Emon’s mother, however, demanded capital punishment of the killers of 
her son.