Shaheed Md Saiful Islam. Photo : Collected

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, March 19, 2025 (BSS) – The dream of Shaheed Md Saiful Islam, 36, of making his only son Rishad an army officer and only daughter Chhamia a doctor remained elusive.
 
Saiful ironed clothes as a laborer at a factory in the Gatewall Market in Sadar Ghat area of Dhaka city for about 18 years.
 
Saiful was born in a poor family that was left destitute by the river erosion in Baher Char village, a river erosion-affected area of Mehendiganj upazila in Barisal district.
 
Saiful's poor father, Md. Shahidul Islam, 60, ran a small tea shop and somehow managed to support his disabled wife, four sons and only daughter.
 
Saiful was the eldest among his four brothers and only sister in their family. His disabled mother, Hosne Ara Begum, 55, cannot work.
 
One of his brothers, Mizanur Rahman, 32, died of cancer a year ago, other brothers Miraj, 30, and Gias, 25, work in a garment factory and the Gatewall Market respectively in Dhaka.
 
His only sister, Mukta, is married to Shamsuddin, an auto-rickshaw driver from Bhola district.
 
Since childhood, Saiful struggled with extreme poverty in his family. At some point, he went to Dhaka city in search of fortune in 2005.
 
Saiful started ironing clothes in a factory in the Gatewall Market in the capital's Sadar Ghat area. After a few days, he started sending some money to his parents.
 
His younger brothers Miraj and Gias also came to Dhaka in turn.
 
Miraj started working as a tailor in a garment factory and Gias started ironing clothes in the same factory in the Gatewall Market where Saiful worked.
 
On weekends and some other days, Saiful used to go to a hotel in the Sutrapur area for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner.
 
A good relationship developed between Saiful and the hotel owner and his wife, a resident of Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur.
 
In 2008, the hotel owner's wife married Saiful to Rani Begum, daughter of the late Eshahak Mia of Bihari village in Kalyani union of Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur.
 
The Saiful-Rani couple started living in Dhaka where their son Rishad Mia was born in 2010 and daughter Chhamia Akhter in 2013.
 
Later, Saiful took Rani to Bihari village, her birthplace in Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur, in 2015, to provide for their children's education and to settle the family permanently.
 
Saiful also bought five percent of land in Bihari village for permanent residence.
 
He recently built a new house in village Bihari for his family and inaugurated it himself, just 10 days before his martyrdom in the capital on August 5.
 
Saiful’s only son Rishad is now in class 8 and his only daughter Chamia is in class 5. They study at Bihari Bilateral High School in Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur.
 
Talking to BSS recently in her village Bihari, Rani said that her family life was very happy with Saiful, who was a very good man, a good husband, a good father and a good son too.
 
After inaugurating his newly built house in Bihari village in late July, Saiful returned to his work in Dhaka city. He would talk to Rani on his mobile phone whenever he had time every day.
 
“Saiful wanted a society free from discrimination. That is why he supported the anti-discrimination student movement and frequently participated in protest marches,” Rani said.
 
After taking lunch at around 2:30 pm on August 5, a jubilant Saiful informed Rani over cell phone that fascist Hasina has fled the country leaving her throne and thanked Almighty Allah for freeing the nation from fascist Hasina.
 
“I am now participating in the victory processions with my four to five colleagues working in the same factory,” Saiful said as Rani quoted.

“I repeatedly told Saiful to be careful. I told him to return to the factory quickly from the victory procession. He smiled and said that we have won, Hasina's fascism has lost. Today is a happy day, don't worry, nothing bad will happen,” Rani said.
 
Then, Rani went out of the house to search for her ducks in the nearby water bodies. But, she was a little scared if anything bad would happen with Saiful in the victory processions.
 
By this time, Saiful was critically injured when the police and armed terrorists of Awami League and its associate bodies hit Saiful at the head with a rifle in the victory procession in front of Bongshal police station.
 
As Rani came to know later, Saiful’s bleeding body was lying there for quite some time.
 
Being informed over cell phone by the colleagues of Saiful, his brothers Miraj and Gias and cousin Bahauddin rushed there and took the body to Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital (Mitford Hospital) at 4:43 pm.
 
After checking, the doctors on duty declared Saiful dead at 4:50 pm saying that the body was brought dead there.
 
At around 6 pm, my husband’s younger brother Gias informed Rani over the cell phone that Saiful was no more…when she instantly fainted…
 
“I have lost everything in my life with the martyrdom of my beloved husband…Saiful had a dream to make our son an army officer and daughter Chhamia a doctor…What can I do now?” asked an emotion-choked Rani with tears.
 
Saiful's body was taken to Baher Char village in Mehendiganj upazila of Barisal district and buried at their family graveyard at 11:30 am the next day, August 6.
 
Saiful's son Rishad said, "My father was the best father in the world. He was committed to educating me to become an officer in the army. I love him and respect him the most. Despite my uncertain future, I am the proud son of my martyred father."
 
Saiful's daughter Chhamia has requested the interim government to stand by their shattered family and provide them with the necessary assistance to ease their suffering and help them realize their father's dream.
 
Rani said, "So far, the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation has given Taka three-lakh to her two children, Taka one-lakh each to her and her mother-in-law.
 
The Deputy Commissioner and UNO have given her Taka 15,000 and a local politician has given her Taka 10,000."
 
“I have already repaid the Taka 1.50-lakh that my husband borrowed when we built our house in Bihari village. Now I have no money to spend,” said Rani.
 
“I want to make our son an army officer and our daughter a doctor, as my husband dreamed. I want my children to study in better educational institutions. I need help and guidance,” she said.