Hridoy Chandra Tarua. Photo : Collected

PATUAKHALI, April 27, 2025 (BSS) – During the anti-discrimination student movement in July 2024, a brutal bullet snatched the dream of Hridoy Chandra Tarua as he wanted to become a BCS officer after competing his studies.

The 23-year-old, a third-year history student at the University of Chittagong, was the only child of carpenter Ratan Chandra Tarua (52) and housewife Archana Rani (45) from Andua village of Mirzaganj upazila in the district.

On July 18 last year, Hridoy joined a protest procession with hundreds of others under the anti-discrimination student movement. Around 4pm on that day, a bullet struck Hridoy in the throat when the police and the then ruling party men jointly attacked on the protesters in the Sholashahar and Bahaddarhat area in Chattogram city.

After five days of treatment in Chattogram and Dhaka, he breathed his last at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on July 23.

All hopes and dreams of Ratan and Archana revolved around their only son. They believed their talented son would one day become a government officer, bringing solvency to their struggling family.

Talking to BSS at their rented house in Patuakhali town, Hridoy’s father recounted their struggle to help their only son secure a place in a public university.

Recalling Hridoy’s fateful day, Ratan Chandra Tarua said, “On July 18, I received a call from Hridoy’s friend Jimmy when he told me, ‘Uncle, don’t panic. Hridoy had an accident. A rubber bullet hit him’. I sat up straight after hearing this.”

But he could not manage transport to go to Chattogram due to the turmoil situation across the country. In the meantime, Ratan came to know that Hridoy was transferred to Dhaka from Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

Hridoy was immediately taken to the ICU of the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital at Mohakhali in the capital. But on July 21, a board of doctors there held a meeting and said Hridoy’s treatment would not be possible there. Therefore, he was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

“Despite securing an ICU bed at the Dhaka medical after immense effort, my son could not survive. He passed away early in the morning on July 23,” Ratan wailed.

He said later they brought Hridoy’s body to their village home and cremated here.

When this correspondent at first approached Ratan, who is now running a tea stall, for comments about his martyred son, he tearfully said, “We are not well. Our family has lost the will to speak”.

He said Hridoy earned GPA-5 in both SSC and HSC. “As we could not bear his education cost with my meager income, he managed his education expenses by teaching students. We had so many dreams centering him,” Ratan said in a sobbing tone.

Demanding justice for his son’s killing, grief-stricken Ratan said, “The perpetrators of the fascist government, who were involved in crimes against humanity including the police, must be given exemplary punishment”.

He said the sacrifices of Hridoy and others, who shed their blood for a new freedom, should be honored.

Talking about financial assistance, they already received after Hridoy’s death, he said they got Taka 2.20 lakh from Jamaat-e-Islami and Taka 5 lakh from the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation.

“I left my carpentry job and opened a tea stall after receiving the money from Jamaat. They are still inquiring about us,” Ratan said.

He said leaders of different organizations including Jamaat also arranged a master roll job for Hridoy’s sister at Patuakhali Science and Technology University.

Seeing this correspondent entering their house to talk about Hridoy, his mother, Archana Rani, burst into tears and could barely speak.

“When my son came home during his last vacation, he told me, ‘Maa, it hurts me that you still work at people’s houses’,” she recalled, saying at that time she told Hridoy, “Nowadays, money is needed to even get a job. Therefore, I still work at others’ houses with the thought of saving some money”.

Archana recalled that then Hridoy angrily told her, “Maa, don't say that again. I am studying well. I won't need money to get a job. I am studying for BCS. After obtaining my Masters degree, I will go to Dhaka with a job. You won't have to work anymore”.

She said Hridoy had always been a topper in his class, never scoring second position, even at university. He cared for his mother deeply.

“My son often cut my nails,” Archana wailed.

“After he entered class eight, he asked for a guidebook. I worked a month in others' house for Taka 700 to buy the book for him. Later, he bought the book with that money. I can't forget my son. His memories haunt me every moment,” she wept.

Archana recounted that whenever she called her son, he used to ask, “Maa, have you taken your medicine? Do you sleep on time?”

“No one else in the world would ask me such questions anymore,” she said in a sobbing tone.

Seeking government support to build a house, Archana said, “We have our own land but we don’t have a house. If the government could build a home for us, we could live the remaining days of our live in peace. Now I see only darkness around me.”

Clutching her son’s shirt and pants, Archana tearfully demanded, “I want justice. I want the killers of my son to be hanged.”