Abdullah Al Tahir- Photo :Collected

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, April 17, 2025 (BSS) – In the eyes of his mother, friends, students, and everyone knew, Abdullah Al Tahir, 32, was always a strong voice against injustice, a soldier of justice on the street.
 
Tahir embraced martyrdom in police firing while participating in the anti-discrimination student-people movement protest marches near Raja Ram Mohan Roy Market in Rangpur city on July 19. It was Friday.
 
This devout young man with a melodious voice was a great example of putting one's trust in the Almighty Allah despite fighting poverty, physical illness, and various adversities since childhood.
 
He was a struggling personality, whose patience and perseverance were of a high order, a unique novel in him, with numerous human qualities.
 
Shaheed Tahir was the place of trust for everyone, the center of everyone's joy, and an ocean of love.
 
He was a beloved servant of Allah with a balanced mix of friendship, brotherhood, lively mind, seriousness, responsible, creative, healthy cultural personality, organizer, consultant, adviser, intelligent thinker, truthful, just, and diligent.
 
Shaheed Tahir was his mother's favorite child, the most beloved teacher to his private tuition students, the dearest friend to his friends and many others, closer than their own brothers.
 
He directly participated in various movements including the anti-quota movement 2018, the movement for safe roads, the movement against the rise in commodity prices and the movements against Sheikh Hasina’s fascist regime.
 
He used to protest in pen, poetry, acting, and singing. Also, during the country's disasters, he would dedicate himself to the interests of the country, and would spontaneously participate in various social welfare activities.
 
Despite growing up in extreme poverty since childhood, Tahir was a man with a thirst for travel and was greatly attracted to the mountains and the sea.
 
However, Tahir had to write the second independence of Bangladesh with the fresh blood of his own chest in his beloved motherland.
 
Talking to BSS, Tahir's pious mother Most Shirina Begum, 60, who lives alone in her rented house in the Purbo Shalbon area of Rangpur city, broke down in tears while telling the story of her beloved son among her four children.
 
Tahir was the second among two daughters and two sons of his father Abdur Rahman, 69, and mother Shirina Begum.
 
After retiring from voluntary organization Bangladesh Mosque Mission as an employee, his father Abdur Rahman is practicing as a homeopathic doctor. He has been living apart from his family for the last two years.
 
Tahir's elder sister Rebecca Yasmin Ruchi, 38, is married to Ariful Islam, an employee of a private company. She lives with her husband and three children.
 
His younger brother Abdullah Al Tayeeb, 29, is studying computer software and also works at Tongi Post Office in Gazipur. He is married, has a son, and lives with his family.
 
Tahir's youngest sister Afsana Ferdousi Ankhi, 24, is married to a businessman Md Nayan from Chandpur district. She lives there with her husband and two daughters.
 
“For years, whenever Tahir and I woke up first during Fajr or Tahajjud prayers, we would call the other. We talked whenever we had little times daily,” said Shirina Begum, who also earns money by teaching the Holy Quran to support her family.
 
She said after completing eighth grade from Al-Hera Institute in Rangpur amid extreme poverty, Tahir was admitted to Rangpur Government Technical School and College. In 2018, he passed SSC (Vocational) from there with a golden GPA-5.
 
Later, Tahir got admitted to the Civil Engineering Department of Rangpur Polytechnic Institute in 2018.
 
However, his closest classmate, Samiul Islam, was admitted to the ceramics department of the Bangladesh Institute of Glass and Ceramics in Dhaka.
 
"At Samiul's request, Tahir joined the same institute the following year, missing an academic year. Samiul stopped his studies for a year to study together with his dear friend Tahir," she said.
 
Both Tahir and Samiul were scheduled to appear for their eighth semester final exams in 2024.
 
Due to the financial crisis, Tahir couldn’t fill his form to appear for the exams. He decided to appear for the final exams next year. Then he returned to Rangpur on July 10 last year when the anti-discrimination student movement was reaching its peak.
 
Throughout his life, Tahir supported his studies, house rent, and family expenses by working as a hotel boy, earning from private tuition, driving an auto-rickshaw, working as an employee in a laundry, or selling perfumes, Punjabis, or headphones, etc.
 
Tahir had been participating in the anti-discrimination student movement protest marches regularly since the beginning of July in Dhaka.
 
After returning to Rangpur, Tahir, along with his friends Asifuzzaman Asif, Nazir Hossain Chan, Suman Hossain and others, had been regularly participating in protest marches again since July 11.
 
Meanwhile, the nationwide student movement against discrimination reached its peak and Rangpur became a city of mass protests by students, political activists, and people from all walks of life.
 
“At one point during the massive student-people protests, a brilliant student of Begum Rokeya University, Abu Sayeed, was killed by police firing on July 16 in front of the university, which stirred the hearts of the entire nation,” she said.
 
After Abu Sayeed's martyrdom, the local administration imposed a curfew in Rangpur to suppress the unyielding protests of students and the public aimed at sustaining Sheikh Hasina's fascist regime.
 
"On the morning of July 18, Tahir asked me, 'Mom, we shouldn't sit at home anymore. Our brave brother Shaheed Abu Sayeed is no more. I didn't sit in Dhaka. We have to uphold the dignity of Abu Sayeed's blood and free the nation from fascism,'" she said.
 
Then, Tahir left home defying the curfew, joined the protest march with his friends.
 
That day, Tahir participated in the protest march from Zilla School ground with his friends and walked 15 kilometers to Jaigirhat on the Rangpur-Dhaka highway. At one stage, he was injured by rubber bullets fired by the police.
 
“Tahir returned home at 11:30 pm after having dinner with his friend Nazir at a relative’s house. He was very tired after walking with the procession all day and soon fell asleep,” Shirina Begum said.
 
After waking up on the morning of July 19 (Friday), Tahir took a bath and ate rice with fried papaya cooked by his mother at home.
 
"Mom, I liked this fried papaya so much that you will bring me papaya like this again and fry it for me... I will eat rice with the fried papaya from your hands again," she quoted Tahir as saying.
 
Tahir went to his room and started sewing his mother's clothes. He loved sewing clothes for his mother whenever he had time.
 
"Mom, I will continue sewing your clothes after I return from the protest march," the teary mother quoted Tahir as saying, showing her half-stitched clothes to this BSS reporter.
 
Shirina Begum said to Tahir, "Yesterday, you got a rubber bullet in your eye and the pain hasn't gone away yet, and besides, police are shooting at students directly today. Don’t go to the procession today."
 
Tahir replied, "If we don't wake up, how will morning come, Mom?"
 
Tahir left home and met his friends Asifuzzaman Asif, Nazir Hossain Chan and Suman Hossain at Shapla Square at 11 am.
 
“After offering Friday’s Juma prayers, Tahir spoke to me. This was our last conversation,” she broke down in tears while narrating.
 
Tahir’s close friend Asifuzzaman said, "We went to Begum Rokeya University, Modern Mour and then the Zilla School. Then we offered Jumma prayers at Nababganj Bazar Jam-e-Mosque together."
 
After offering Jumma prayers, they went to Shaheed Abu Sayeed Square at Begum Rokeya University again by a rickshaw to join the protest processions.
 
Tahir held the national flag in hands at Abu Sayeed Square. The students’ gathering started to grow there despite the internet was shut down.
 
“Tahir said, brothers, we need to give the students a lead, there is no one here to give a lead, let's give a lead,” Asifuzzaman quoted Tahir as saying.
 
Meanwhile, news came that there was a massive stampede at Rangpur City Bazaar areas. So, Tahir with his friends started moving from Shaheed Abu Sayeed Square towards City Bazaar.
 
By this time, the streets had already turned into a sea of people by 3:30 pm as thousands of people from all walks of life came out that day.
 
The police, other forces, and terrorists from Awami League and its affiliates took an extremely aggressive stance against the student-public everywhere.
 
“We were right in front of Raja Ram Mohan Market when police started firing first with rubber bullets and then directly from AK-47 rifles. Tahir kept telling us to stay with him and to move away if the police chased us,” Asifuzzaman said.
 
“Suddenly, the gunfire started like torrential rains. While looking around, I saw Nazir and another person carrying Tahir by his arms and legs,” he said.
 
Asifuzzaman and Nazir saw a small hole just above the right side of Tahir's navel and thought it might have been a rubber bullet. But when they turned him over, they were frightened to see a very large hole on the left side of his back.
 
Asifuzzaman and Nazir realized that it was not a rubber bullet, but an AK-47 bullet. It had pierced Tahir's stomach and other inner organs and exited through his back.
 
"I was crying profusely. But, Tahir had a contented smile on his face. I can't describe how satisfying that smile was! And he was constantly chanting Kalima La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur Rasulullah (PBUH)," Asifuzzaman said.
 
Asifuzzaman and Nazir, with the help of other students and people, immediately took Tahir to Rangpur Medical College Hospital and informed his parents about the incident.
 
Shirina Begum said, “As soon as I started reciting Surah Fateha during Asr prayers at home, I miraculously saw Tahir’s coffin in front of me. I thought it was a trick of Iblis, the devil, to distract me and ruin my prayers.”
 
However, she started praying the Asr prayers with intention anew and saw the same scene once again. She continued and finished the prayers.
 
“After the prayer, I prayed to Allah Almighty...if He wills it, then Alhamdulillah...I prayed to Him to grant Tahir forgiveness and Paradise. At that moment, my mobile phone rang when I was still sitting on the prayer mat,” she said.
 
As soon as she received the phone call, Asifuzzaman informed her about the incident.
 
Getting information, Tahir’s mother, his friends Arif Shahriar Niloy and Shahriar Hossain also came to the hospital around 6:30 pm.
 
At 8 pm, Tahir was taken to the operation theatre. The surgery continued for two hours, there was a lot of bleeding. The incision came out obliquely, which resulted in 7-8 large wounds in his inner organs.
 
“Tahir was taken out of the operation theatre at 10 pm and taken to the ICU. In the meantime, His father had also come. Tahir breathed his last at around 11:30 pm,” said Asifuzzaman.
 
Tahir’s close friends Asifuzzaman, Samiul, Nazir, Suman and Shahriar said Tahir never spoke loudly. His lips always had a pure smile, how beautiful was that smile! He thanked the Almighty Allah in all circumstances.
 
“Tahir has gifted a new sun to the sky of Bengal. In this independent Bengal, if my son is born, I will name him Abdullah Al Tahir and raise him in his ideals, InshaAllah,” said Asifuzzaman.
 
Like Tahir's mother Shirina Begum, his friends and relatives urged the interim government to ensure justice by ensuring exemplary punishment for the innocent Tahir's killers.