Babonpur is a serene village nestled among trees. Brick houses line both sides of the road, along with a few mud huts. Abu Sayed, a son of this village, also lived in a mud house. Raised in Babonpur, Abu Sayed became one of the martyrs of the July mass uprising.
On this day last year on 16 July, Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, was killed by police firing during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
He spread his arms wide and faced the bullets with his chest. His death transformed the movement into a mass uprising, which ultimately led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Abu Sayed, son of farmer Mokbul Hossain and Monowara Begum from Babonpur village in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur, was studying in the English department at Begum Rokeya University. He was one of nine siblings.
Following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August by the student-people's uprising, an interim government was formed under Professor Muhammad Yunus on 8 August. On 10 August, Professor Yunus visited Abu Sayed’s grave in Babonpur. Today, the village of Babonpur has become a symbol of respect and affection for people across the country.
Local Union Parishad member Sultan Mia told Prothom Alo that every day people come from far and wide to pay tribute to Abu Sayed’s heroic sacrifice. Villagers are proud of his bravery.
His grave lies beside a rural road. A signboard in front reads the final resting place of Abu Sayed, one of the heroes and the first martyr of the 2024 July Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Visiting the house on Tuesday afternoon during rains, father Mokbul Hossain was seen cleaning the road near his son’s grave.
He said that some advisors were expected to visit. The Upazila administration was working on renovating the gravesite. He also showed the chair and table Abu Sayed had used in his mess in Rangpur.
Mokbul Hossain said Abu Sayed struggled greatly due to their impoverished household.
He ranked 16th in the admission test for Gopalganj University of Science and Technology but did not enroll due to its distance from home.
Mokbul Hossain said he felt proud of his son’s sacrifice. “My son had completed his honours degree. He was on the verge of getting a job. Even then, he joined the movement. I believe Allah used him as a means to overthrow that autocrat. It was Allah who did it, not people. Those who were oppressed, jailed, or tortured in secret detention—did not they all cry out to Allah? Of course, they did. And Allah accepted their cries through my son.”
He, however, expressed anger over the pressure from local administration during the burial on the night of Abu Sayed’s death. Mokbul Hossain said that the UNO, chairman, member, and Awami League leaders came to his house that night and insisted on burying the body immediately. But when relatives announced the funeral for 9:00 am via loudspeaker, the UNO became furious.
Describing his son as the first martyr of the July movement, Mokbul Hossain said four of the accused are behind bars, while the remaining ones are at large. He demanded that all be brought to justice swiftly.
Abu Sayed’s mother, Monowara Begum, did not say much. She only mentioned that she could not sleep the last night and kept thinking of her son.
Showing the newly built semi-brick house, his father said Abu Sayed never had a study room of his own. He had wanted to build one. Mokbul Hossain had started constructing a room, but after Abu Sayed died, the construction remained incomplete. That room has now been finished, and his parents live there. Monowara Begum brought out a bag containing Abu Sayed’s used shirt, pants, and panjabi. She showed them and then gently put them back inside.
First death anniversary today
Several programs have been organised at Begum Rokeya University on the occasion of Abu Sayed’s first death anniversary. The events began with offering doa at his grave in Babonpur at 7:00 am. At the memorial event for Martyrs of July, Abu Sayed’s father Mokbul Hossain will be the chief guest, and other family members of the July movement’s martyrs have also been invited.
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, Education Adviser CR Abrar, Forest and Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Liberation War Affairs Adviser Faruk-e-Azam, University Grants Commission Chairman Professor SMA Fayez, UGC Member Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan, and Senior Secretary of Ministry of Education Siddiq Zobair are expected to attend the event at the university.
The place where Abu Sayeed was martyred will be officially named “Shaheed Abu Square” today. In addition, a memorial will be inaugurated in his honour opposite the main gate of the university.