The memories of martyred Dhaka Residential Model College HSC examinee Farhan Faiyaz haunt his classmate Wasif Munim and don’t allow him to sleep in peace since the brutal killing in gunfire on 18 July during the movement of Students Against Discrimination.
“I could not sleep since the day he left us forever. Because, whenever I feel sleepy and want to close my eyes, I visualise him staring at us lying in the ambulance. This doesn’t let me sleep,” grieving Munim said, referring to his buddy Farhan, while talking to BSS.
Two friends - Farhan and Munim - went out of their homes to join the student movement over the reform in job quota system along with other classmates on 18 July.
When they reached the Dhanmondi area, Farhan and Munim got stuck in chases between demonstrating students and members of law enforcement agencies along with armed thugs of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, student and youth fronts of the then governing Bangladesh Awami League.
At that time, Farhan was shot in his chest while his friend Munim survived with minor injuries.
Recalling the tragic incident of that day, Munim said, “My nose and eyes were burning badly from the toxic fumes of tear gas fired by the police. I could not bear with the pain and sat on the pavement next to the main road. After a while, I heard that Farhan was shot in his chest.”
Hearing that Farhan received bullet injuries, Munim rushed to him without thinking about any danger.
“When I was taking him to the City Hospital by an ambulance, he stared at my eyes lying at one side of the ambulance. I saw an unexplainable look in your two eyes!” said Munim, recalling Farhan.
“In your eyes, I saw hatred for the armed thugs of the fallen dictator. Suddenly, your two eyes blinked twice and closed forever, breaking my hearts. At that moment, I even forgot how to cry,” he added, referring to the moment of Farhan’s journey towards eternity.
Munim in his Facebook status wrote that Farhan was initially taken to the emergency department of the hospital, from where he was transferred to intensive care unit (ICU). But Farhan could not return from ICU alive, he added.
“Of course, you remain alive in the hearts of millions of people. But the last two blinks of your eyes staring at me haunt me everyday,” Munim wrote about Farhan.
He also wrote that Farhan encouraged him to remain on the streets until their demand was met and from that day he never missed joining the movement on the streets, even though he received rubber bullet injuries.
“We didn’t betray your blood. You clinched the victory. Today, your country is free,” Munim wrote in his Facebook status.
The students of different educational institutions, including Dhaka University, were staging demonstrations on the roads demanding a reform in the quota system in the government jobs.
The students geared up their movement from 1 July to press home their demand while the movement spread to all educational institutions across the country.
At one stage, when the autocratic AL government tried to suppress the movement with an iron fists, the death of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) student Abu Sayeed along with five others across the country on 16 July in Rangpur and Farhan in the capital and several others across the country on 18 July in police firing added new dimensions to the movement, turning it into a student-people uprising.
Talking about the martyrdom of Farhan in the student movement against the 15-year misrule of the autocratic AL regime, his father Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan told BSS that none can understand the pain of a father, who carries the body of his child on his shoulder except those who lost their children.
“No burden is heavier than that. Only one who has lost his children forever can understand the pain of losing a child,” he added.
Talking to the agency at his Circuit House Road residence in the city’s Shantinagar area, Shahidul Islam burst into tears and said his son’s full name is Mohammad Farhanul Islam Bhuiyan with the nickname Ratul.
Farhan became familiar as Farhan Faiyaz after he embraced martyrdom in the indiscriminate police firing during the student movement, he added.
From childhood, Farhan liked to live in a calm and tranquil environment and he used to avoid quarrels and troubles, said Shahidul Islam.
“My son couldn’t bear even a little pain and would use an umbrella to save him from rain and the heat of the sun. He couldn’t tolerate the trouble of going to college by public bus instead of using an Uber car. How could that boy go to such a big movement? I can’t imagine it,” said Farhan’s father.
Someone might have encouraged him through social media to join the movement, Shahidul Islam said, adding his friends were called for joining the movement while one of their teachers had declared a waiver of tuition fee for the month of August for those who would join the movement.
Farhan was so active in the quota reform movement that he called his ninth-grade sister to join the movement.
“Farin, why don’t you go to the movement? You should join the movement,” Farhan’s father quoted him as saying to Farin.
Farhan’s talent and his glowing personality were exposed at his early age. He could memorise everything with a little effort. Apart from reading his college textbooks, he used to read books of university admission tests to keep himself a little ahead in the competition.
Farhan’s reading table was decorated with books of different authors on physics.
“We were optimistic about Farhan. His dream was to be a physicist and pursue higher education in the discipline abroad and return home to engage himself in the welfare of the people,” Shahidul Islam said.
About Farhan’s food habit, he said with grief, “Farhan used to love to eat pizza, pasta and burgers. He ordered a pizza online on the night of 17 July , the night before his death. I opened the door and received the pizza and gave it to him”.
After eating pizza, Farhan went to bed around 10:00-10:30 pm, Shahidul Islam said, adding they had no conversation after that time.
“We have a lot of pain and suffering. Our only son embraced martyrdom for the country. In exchange for his sacrifice, Bangladesh has become independent again. It is a relief for us on the one hand and it is a pain for us on the other,” Farhan’s father said in a heavy voice.