Bullet pierces 10-year-old Hossain's lower abdomen

Clashes and gunfire broke out in the Chittagong Road area of the capital in the afternoon of 20 July. The police and students were chasing each other. The air was filled with the sound of gunfire and the explosions of crude bombs. Ten-year-old Hossain Miah had finished lunch and emerged from the house. He would sell popcorn, ice-cream and chocolates on the streets.

Hossain went missing from 5:30 in the afternoon. His father Manik Miah went in search for him, but in vain. After searching all over amid the clashes, he returned home after two hours to find his son still wasn't back. Leaving their two little girls at home, Manik Miah and his wife Maleka Begum went out again in search of their son. They searched Chittagong Road and adjacent areas thoroughly, but there was no sign of little Hossain.

Then at 9:00 in the night someone came up and showed them a picture of Hossain on his mobile phone. Manik and Maleka recognised their son. He had been injured. They learnt that Hossain had been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. They immediately set out and reached Jatrabari by pickup. But once they reached there, they found no transport. They walked for some time, rested and then started up again. There was violence all along the way. Later they begged a rickshaw puller to take them and finally they reached Dhaka Medical half an hour after midnight. They searched Dhaka Medical high and low but couldn't locate Hossain. The physicians said many persons with bullet injuries had been brought in from Chittagong Road and were under treatment.

The couple sat waiting until 2:00 in the morning, thinking that their son was undergoing treatment. Someone came up and asked them why they were waiting there. They told him about their son and the man took them to the morgue. Upon seeing his son's body among so many dead bodies lying there. Hossain's father fell unconscious. Maleka Begum's screams filled the air around Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Hossain had been shot dead. At around 2:00am on 22 July night his body was taken to his maternal grandparents' home in Betra village of Rajamehar in Comilla where he was laid to rest.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Hossain's maternal uncle Mustafa Kamal said, "Hossain's family lived in Dhaka but were struggling. Father and son were hawkers and lived on whatever little they could earn. When we learnt that they were bringing Hossain's body, we went to buy the cloth for his shroud. The shop was closed so we went to the shop owner's house and requested him to help us. We got the cloth for the shroud and other things that were needed. Some chopped down bamboos, some dug the grave. At 2:00am were held the janaza (funeral prayers) and then laid him to rest. After losing his son, Hossain's father loses his consciousness every day."

Visiting village Betara in Debidar on Friday morning, Manik Miah and Maleka begum were seen sitting on their front doorstep. Their neighbours and relatives could not comfort them. They kept looking at their son's picture and breaking into tears. People all around could not hold back their tears either.

Manik Miah said he came from the village Barshal of Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila. He hardly had any family members there and would live at his in-laws' after marriage. Around five years ago they went to Dhaka. They lived in Muktinagar of Chittagong Road. He would spend the day selling chips, chocolates, ice-cream on the streets. Ten-year-old Hossain was his elder child. He was a street vendor too. Manik and Maleka have two daughters, Mahinur Akhter (8) and Shahinur Akhter (6).

Manik Miah said, "After seeing my boy's body in hospital, I no longer want to live. He was such a small boy. Two bullets hit his body. A bullet pierced his lower abdomen and came out the other side. Another was lodged in his waist. He must have been in so much pain. Why did Allah take my son away?"

Mother Maleka Begum wailed upon looking at her son's picture. She said, "Hossain, call me 'ma' just one more time. Soothe my heart." She is quiet for some time and then breaks out again, "I wasn't feeling well that day. My son said he would get me treated with the money he got from selling popcorn and ice-cream. But my boy never returned."

Manik Miah said, "Our boy died on Saturday afternoon. We went through so much trouble just to get his body. Go to this office, go to that office, go to the police station to file a GD, sign here, sign there. Finally on Monday we got our boy's body. It was so difficult to bring the body here too. At around 2:00am Monday night we finally held our boy's janaza."

Comilla's deputy commissioner Khandakar M Mushfiqur Rahman said, he was not aware of the incident. He took the details of Hossain from this correspondent. He said he would direct the Debidar upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) to extend all possible support to the family.