CUMILLA, April 16, 2025 (BSS) – Pickle-seller Manik Mia left his home around 3pm to join the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in the Hirajheel area of Siddhirganj on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway on July 20 last year.

Shortly after, his 10-year-old son Hossain Mia went to find him. But Hossain never returned home as he was shot dead.

Hailing from Akhaura of Brahmanbaria district, 35-year-old Manik married Maleka Akter (32), daughter of Abdul Motaleb from Betra village in Rajamehar Union of Debidwar Upazila in the district 12 years ago and settled there, building a house on his father-in-law’s land.

Due to financial hardship, he moved with his family including his three children five years ago to Muktinagar in Siddhirganj of Narayanganj district, where they have been living in a rented house.

Manik used to sell pickles from one vehicle to another, while his wife, Maleka Begum, worked as a domestic help in others’ houses.

For the last one year, his 10-year-old son Hossain, a third-grade student at the local Al Hera School, had also been selling popcorn and water on buses until his death.

Talking to BSS, Maleka said during the anti-discrimination student movement, Manik couldn’t go out to sell pickles as vehicular movement was suspended due to the movement. Thus, he used to join the movement regularly from July 15 in the Hirajheel area of Siddhirganj on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.

On July 20, Maleka recalled that her husband left the house around 3pm to join the movement. Soon, their son Hossain went out looking for his father.

“Around 4pm, we came to know that our son Hossain was shot. While searching for him, we learned from the locals that police had fired bullets indiscriminately and used harmful gas. At least 10 to 12 people, including Hossain, were shot in the deadly incident,” Hossain’s grief-stricken mother said tearfully.

Noting that locals took several of the injured to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) by rickshaw, Maleka said she and husband Manik rushed to the DMCH by a rickshaw.

She remembered that after a frantic search in the hospital, they identified the body of their son, Hossain, among 20 to 25 corpses in the morgue after 8pm.

At that moment, seeing his child’s lifeless body and countless others in pools of blood, Manik lost consciousness.

Maleka described how blood flowed across the floor of Dhaka Medical College that day. Manik regained consciousness around 10pm, nearly two hours later. The grieving parents then pleaded with the hospital authorities to return their son’s body.

Maleka recalled that instead of helping them to get the body, the hospital authorities questioned their identity.

“Finally, around 12 midnight, an officer asked us to show ours and Hossain’s birth registrations. The next day (July 21), we submitted the birth certificates and other documents to the officials. Even then, we had to face harassment to receive the body after midnight,” she said in an emotion choked voice.

The family had a wish to take Hossain's body to his grandfather’s village home in Akhaura in Brahmanbaria, but they could not due to the turmoil. Later, they took the body to Betra village in Debidwar on the same night. Hossain was laid to eternal rest there next morning.

A large number of people, including leaders and activists of local BNP-Jamaat and anti-discrimination student movement, joined his namaj-e-janaza.

Maleka said a case was filed with Siddhirganj Police Station against unidentified people over Hossain’s murder. However, she has no information about the progress of the case.

Maleka said her husband, Manik Mia, was mentally devastated after losing their only son. He couldn’t return to work for nearly three months. However, Manik has recently started selling pickles on the bus again.

Maleka said now they have two daughters. Among them, Mahinur (8) is currently studying in class two at a local school while Shahinur (5) is yet to get enrolled in school.

She said after her son's death, leaders and activists from various political parties came to their home to condole them. Some of them provided financial assistance.

Speaking about the assistance they received till now, Maleka said they received Taka 5 lakh from the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation, Taka 2 lakh from Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’s central Coordinator Hasnat Abdullah and Taka 1 lakh from the Debidwar Upazila unit of Jamaat-e-Islami.

On the other hand, she said BNP has assured of giving assistance.

Talking to BSS, Shaheed Hossain’s maternal grandfather, Abdul Motaleb, said due to financial hardship, he had given his daughter and son-in-law a piece of land to live by erecting a house.

“But now I cannot imagine the loss of my grandson. It’s very painful for me,” he said and demanded trial of the killers.

Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’s central Coordinator Hasnat Abdullah said they are keeping in touch with the families of all those who were killed in the anti-fascist movement.

“We are trying our best to stand by them. We have also provided financial assistance to Hossain’s family,” he said and expressed his commitment to continue supporting them in the future.

Member Secretary of the Cumilla North District unit of BNP AFM Tarek Munshi said they are maintaining communication with every martyr’s family in Debidwar.

Secretary of the Cumilla North District unit of Jamaat-e-Islami Saiful Islam Shahid said, “We have provided financial assistance to each martyr’s family, including Hossain’s family, to the best of our ability. We will continue to stand by them in the future as well.”

Debidwar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nigar Sultana said that the upazila administration is maintaining communication with each martyr’s family regularly.