Zahidul Islam. Photo: BSS

By Rupokur Rahman

SAVAR, Mar 9, 2025 (BSS) - Zahidul Islam, a 28-year-old barber, was shot dead at the intersection in front of Ashulia Police Station here on August 5, 2024 as he joined a joyous procession following the fall of the autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.

At the sudden death of Zahid in the 2024 July Uprising, his family, including his wife Rina, 10-year-old daughter Zahida, visually impaired father Rafiqul Islam, 60 and ailing mother Amena Begum, 44, now sees a bleak future by losing their only earner of the family.

Hailed from Badargonj upazila of Rangpur district, Zahid had been living at a rented house in the Bashundhara Natunbazar area in Ashulia with his only daughter and wife.

His two younger brothers- Alamgir and Anwarul, and parents- Rafiqul and Amena, are living at their village home. Zahid, being the eldest son, was the sole provider of his parents residing in the village.

"My husband worked at a barber shop in the Ashulia area. He used to join the anti-discrimination student movement. He didn't listen to my plea over not joining the street protest," Rina, grief stricken wife of Zahid, shared her anguish with BSS recently.

Noting that Zahid used to be seen in the forefront of the protest, she said her husband joined the victory procession following the downfall of the nearly 16-year-long fascist regime in face of the student-led massive uprising.

"But a bullet hit my husband's head when he reached the intersection in front of Ashulia Police Station with other cheering people, leaving him dead on the spot," Rina lamented.

Zahid was laid to his eternal rest at a local graveyard in the Bashundhara Natunbazar area in Ashulia on the same night.

Sharing the sufferings Rina is facing with her daughter since her husband's death, she said, "My only daughter is a sixth grader at a local Madrasah. I don't know how I could manage our livelihood in the days coming ahead since my husband was our sole breadwinner".

Expressing concern over continuation of her daughter's study, she sought cooperation for a permanent arrangement for their livelihood.

Zahid's daughter Zahida, however, could not make any comment over her martyred father, as she could not control her emotion. She burst into tears recalling her father's memory.

Zahid's younger brother, Anwarul, over mobile phone told BSS that his elder brother used to send money for bearing the expenses of their elderly parents. Now, their parents are facing financial hardship even to buy their essential medicines.

"At the death of our elder brother, our parents as well as my brother's family are facing acute financial hardship. We are now struggling to manage our daily meals," he said.

Zahid's mother, Amena, said her son always took care of them.

"Apart from his own family, my son used to support us. But the perpetrators killed my son. Now how would we survive? My husband is a visually impaired person," Zahid's mother Amena said.

She urged the government to make a permanent arrangement for the livelihood of their family and demanded capital punishment for those who killed her son.

Zahid's father Rafiqul Islam also wanted justice over his son's death and said he wanted to see the trial in his lifetime.

Zahid's wife Rina said the trial must be an exemplary one so that none can dare to kill anyone in the future.

About financial assistance, Rina said they got Taka 5 lakh from the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation and Taka 2 lakh from Jamaat-e-Islami.