132 children, 11 women killed in mass uprising

Naima Sultana, 15, used to like drawing. She was drawing on that day too. While drawing she had told her mother that she will make pizzas later. In between, she said she was going to the balcony to get the dry clothes.

Following her daughter, the mother was also going towards the balcony. Just as Naima opened the door to the balcony, the bullet pierced through her head. 

That’s how the mother Ainun Nahar was describing the incidents from that day. At the time of the student-people mass uprising, Naima was shot on the third-floor balcony of a five-story building in sector no. 9 of Uttara area in the capital on last 19 July.

Teenager Shafiq Uddin Ahmed Ahnaf, 17, who had joined the movement, was shot dead in Mirpur-10 of the capital on last 4 August. He used to tell his parents all the time that when he grows up, he would do something that his family members would feel proud for him.

Abdullah Al Mahin, 16, was the only child to Jamil Hossain and Samira Jahan couple. He died from shotgun pellets in front of Rajuk Commercial Complex in Azampur area of the capital on 4 August.

The list of children and adolescents martyred during the mass uprising contains more children like Mahin and Ahnaf, who had actively participated in the movement.

According to the ministry of women and children affairs data, a total of 132 children and adolescents along with 11 women have been martyred in the student-people mass uprising. Adviser of the ministry of women and children affairs Sharmeen S Murshid has confirmed the information to Prothom Alo.

Meanwhile, according to the directorate general of health services (DGHS) data from 15 December, the information of 865 people killed in the mass uprising have been registered in the database so far. Of them, 682 people were brought dead to the hospitals. However, the death toll mentioned on the website of DGHS on Wednesday evening was 860.

Records from the ministry of women and children affairs say that the list of 11 female martyrs includes the name of Maya Islam, Meherun Nesa, Liza, Rita Akhter, Nafisa Hossain Marwa, Nasima Akhter, Riya Gope, Kohinur Begum, Sumaiya Akhter, Mst. Akhter, and Naima Sultana.

Officials of the ministry stated that the families of 105 martyred children and adolescents were invited to receive financial support and recognition in an event organised on 7 October to celebrate World Children’s Day.

However, the families of only 83 martyrs, who were present at the event, had been provided the support and recognition.

During the event, guardians of four martyred children stated through journalists that their names are absent from the list. Later, the families of 23 more children were traced out from different sources.

So, the ministry of women and children affairs sent letters to health services division of the ministry of health and family welfare on 22 October to include the names of 27 more martyred children in the list.

As per the DGHS data, 682 of the total 865 martyrs were brought dead to the hospitals. Meanwhile, 183 of them died while undergoing treatment at the hospitals.

As many as 15,659 injured people were taken to the hospitals and 10,186 of them received treatment at the outdoors. Only 5,473 of them received indoor services meaning they were admitted to the hospitals for treatment.

A total of 571 people received treatment for eye injuries only while as many as 512 of them are from Dhaka alone.

According to the directorate general of health services, around half or 7,378 of the total 15,659 injured across the eight divisions are from Dhaka.

Meanwhile, 352 of the 865 martyrs listed in the database so far were from Dhaka as well. Of them, 263 were brought dead to the hospital. Among those who were brought dead to the hospitals, 224 were taken to government hospitals while 43 were taken to private hospitals.

As many as 85 people died while undergoing treatment at hospitals. At least 61 of them died in government hospitals. At least 555 of the injured have become disabled while 490 of them are from Dhaka.

Of the total injured people, 13,421 were given treatment at government hospitals as the other 2,238 received treatment in private hospitals.

The list of martyrs includes 120 from Chattogram, 104 people from Barishal, 74 from Mymensingh, 68 from Khulna, 61 from Rangpur, 54 from Rajshahi, and 32 people from Sylhet.

Naima was second of the two daughters and one son born to Golam Mostafa and Ainun Nahar couple. Golam Mostafa is a homeopathic physician in Matlab North Upazila of Chandpur. She was a student at Milestone School and College.

Ainun Nahar said that to provide the children with better education their father, Golam Mostafa had admitted them in schools and colleges in Dhaka.

Alas, they lost their child after moving to Dhaka. She used to live with their three children in a rented home located in Uttara area. Naima’s father still lives in their village home.

Every time Naima’s mother talked about her daughter, she demanded justice for her daughter’s killing.

Another martyr Maya Islam’s son Mustafizur Rahman also made the same demand. He also wants justice for his mother. Alongside grieving his loss, he is deeply concerned about the future of his critically injured son, Musa.

When the situation had calmed down a little on 19 July, Maya Islam, 60, went out of their house to buy her grandson, Basit Khan Musa, 7, an ice-cream.  They used to live at Meradia Haat area opposite of Rampura police station in the capital.

Just as they got down from the building, a bullet pierced through Musa’s head and then hit Maya Islam in the abdomen. She died the next day on 20 July. Meanwhile, her grandson, Musa is undergoing treatment in Singapore right now, with a critical health condition.