Abu Said’s family has sought justice from the interim government

The family of Abu Saeed, who was shot dead by police during a student movement against discrimination in Rangpur, has sought justice. This demand has been conveyed to the new interim government that is about to be formed.

Abu Said’s brother, Abu Hussein, made this statement in a phone call on Tuesday evening (August 6).

Abu Hussain told the Dhaka Post that students in the country took to the streets to voice their fair demands. They were martyred. I want justice for these murders. May my brother be honored by the state. Apart from this, universities and roads should also be named after him. May he live among the people of the country. Future governments should respect the fair demands of the people. And no one should die in the shooting.

While talking to another elder brother Ramzan Ali, he said, “My martyred elder brother started a quota movement among students across the country.” Later it led to the fall of the government. Eventually the government fell. Abu Saeed is not with us today. I cannot forget that pain. The new government that is coming should not treat the people of this country like this.

He also said that now the only thing we demand from the government is to ensure justice. Not only my brother, but all those who lost their lives should get justice. I hope my brother can be awarded the title of martyr. People should remember him by naming roads, schools and colleges. By keeping him in mind, the new generation can realize the dream of building a new Bangladesh.

“Power, pride, arrogance and wealth are not permanent,” Abu Saeed’s cousin Omar Farooq told the Dhaka Post. “Don’t forget this now. Allah gives glory and takes it away. Unless someone can keep it. So many innocent, defenseless and innocent people’s lives have been taken by the rulers. Yet today, my brother has been martyred for allowing the movement to overthrow the dictatorship. This victory bought by his sacrifice should be used to build a safe society with real equality and non-discrimination. Otherwise the sacrifices of hundreds of martyrs will be in vain.”

Abu Saeed is the son of Maqbul Hussain of Babanpur village in Ramadan Kali Union, Rangpur Pirganj Upazila. Abu Saeed is the youngest of nine siblings. Except Abu Saeed, none of the siblings went to college. Due to lack of education, the others made a living by doing daily labor and agriculture. The talented Abu Saeed had excellent grades in Class VIII, SSC, HSC and won scholarships. Abu Saeed Begum is a fourth-year student of the 12th batch of the English Department of Rokhya University. His family hoped that Abu Saeed would become a BCS cadre to take over the family.

During the quota reform movement, students clashed with the police, Chhatra League and Jubo League in front of the university on July 16. On this day, Abu Saeed was shot dead by the police. The next day, on July 17, he was buried at his home in Babanpur village of Madankhali Union in Pirganj upazila. Abu Saeed was one of the coordinators of the anti-discriminatory quota reform movement at Begum Rokeya University.

A case was registered in connection with his death at the Metropolitan Tajhat police station on July 17. The complainant in the case is Bibhuti Bhushan Roy, sub-inspector of the police station and in-charge of the Begum Rokeya University police outpost.

The brief statement of the case mentioned that “at around 2.15 pm, the miscreants who were agitating against the beneficiary named Chhatra started raining bricks from different directions and firing indiscriminately from guns.” In order to disperse them and bring the situation under control, the police also fired 169 rounds of rubber bullets from nominal government-issued shotguns from APC Cong/1186 Sohail. The entire university area became a battlefield.

Regarding Sayeed’s death, it is said that “once a student was seen lying on the road after the agitators threw bullets and bricks from different directions.” His classmates caught him and took him to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where the doctor on duty declared him dead. Unidentified 2 to 3 thousand people have been accused in this incident.

Fahadulzzaman Farooq/MJU