66 children, teenagers among killed

At least 66 children and teenagers were killed across the country in violence centering the demonstrations that began in July with students demonstrating against quotas in government jobs before spiralling into a mass protest of students and people to oust the Awami League government. They fell victim to various sorts of violence, including police firing.

Some 56 of them had bullet wounds and nine were burnt to death. Besides, another one is assumed to be killed after being hit by splinters of sound grenades. These children and teenagers were killed mostly while crossing the roads or while demonstrating. There are also reports of children being killed in their own house. Some 39 of them were killed in Dhaka, including Savar and Tongi and 27 were killed outside the capital.

The first casualties centering the quota reform movement was reported on 16 July. Some six people were killed that day. There was no minor or teenager among the casualties. The first case of casualties among children and teenagers were reported on 18 July. From that day, at least 39 teenagers and children were killed till 4 August. Besides, 27 more children and teenagers were reported dead in a week from 5 August to 11 August.

Prothom Alo figures show some 624 were killed in a month from 16 July to 16 August. Of them, 354 were killed between 16 July to 4 August. Besides, at least 270 persons died from 5-16 August from injuries they sustained during the violence centering the mass demonstration of students and people.

However, according to a report published by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 650 Bangladeshi lost their lives in clashes that erupted across the country centering the protest from 16 July to 11 August. The report titled ‘Preliminary Analysis of Recent Protests and Unrest in Bangladesh’ was published yesterday, Friday.

The people of the country were repelled with the killing of children and adolescents resulting in a mass outrage against the government. In determination to topple the government, the protesting students and people declared the month of July won’t end until the government resigns. It was termed the ‘July massacre’. They started counting the first days of August as extended days of July. In compliance to that they say they achieved victory through resignation of the former prime minister on ‘36 July’ (5 August).

People were distressed seeing the smiling photo of Farhan Faiyaz, 17 or Golam Nafiz,17, hanging on the foot of a rickshaw or the killing of hawker Hossen Mia, 10 or milkman Mobarak Ali, 10, who had taken the responsibility of their families in their childhood.

A photo of six-year-old Rhea Gope, who was shot dead, with a bandage on her head, is now graffitied on walls across the capital. There have been countless stories on the incident of Riya being shot while playing on the roof of the house.

Former caretaker government advisor Rasheda K Chowdhury labelled this genocide. Speaking to Prothom Alo, she said, “Such a massive level of killing is unprecedented in the history of the country except the liberation war in 1971. However, our enemy at that time was a different country. How could people be killed at the hand of their compatriots?"

Rasheda K Chowdhury, “As a nation, it’s quite shameful and distressing. We blame Israel for child killing. Now who would we blame for the child killing our own country?"

As per the Children Act 2013, anybody below the age of 18 is to be considered a child. The ages of the children and teenagers who were killed varies from 3-17 years. Of them, 32 were students. Some 20 of them was subjected to child labour by their profession. Some of them worked in shops, some in garment factories and some as hawkers to earn for their families. Professions of 13 of these children could not be confirmed.

Apart from that, there is a four-year-old preschooler among the slain children. His name is Abdul Ahad. He was shot dead even before starting school. Ahad was standing on the balcony of their house when he was shot at around 1:30 pm on 19 July. He was declared dead by the on-duty physician at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Samirur Rahman, 11, was shot in his eyes and head while standing beside an open window in his home on the second floor of a building in the city’s Mirpur-14 area in the evening of 19 July. He was a madrasah student and was the lone child of his parents.

The National Human Rights Commission wrote to the home ministry to investigate each case of child killing and submit the report after the interim government was sworn in.

Human rights activist Nur Khan says a special tribunal should be formed for trial of child killings in recent turmoil. He told Prothom Alo the Awami League government tried to contain the mass enrage with sheer brutality. They even opened fire from choppers towards the unarmed demonstrators to spread fear to retain power. It’s quite obligatory now to investigate each incident of killing children and teenagers.

The law enforcements have been accused of opening fire arbitrarily on 18, 19, 20 and 21 July. However, the police claimed that people were killed in indiscriminate fire of miscreants.

On 4 August, the leaders and activists of the Awami League, Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) carried out heinous attacks on the protestors. Many of them were carrying firearms and crude weapons. Some three teenagers were killed in the attack. All three were students.

In addition to the deceased, a number of children and adolescents were injured. Many of them were shot. Still there was no respite from them as police arrested the children despite them carrying bullet wounds. However, the police had to release them on bail in face of massive criticism from different quarters.

Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister and fled the country on 5 August. The Awami League and activists went into hiding following that. The newly formed interim government had decided to hold the trial of the cases over the mass killing from 16 July to 5 August at the International Crime Tribunal. Already complaints have been lodged and investigations are underway. The question nevertheless will continue to taunt the families of deceased that will the lost children ever return.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mobinur Rahman, uncle of Samirur Rahman, who was shot dead, said, “What was the fault of that 11-year-old boy? How could he not be safe even inside his own house?

*This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu