‘Why is my child being victim-blamed?’ asks Apratim’s mother

Nahida Begum, associate professor in the Department of Bangla at Comilla University, has expressed anger over various posts and claims circulating on social media about her son, Ishayat Shahriar Apratim, 13.

She voiced her anger when leaders of the Cumilla District Bar Association visited her home on Tuesday night.

Nahida Begum said, “My child was still just a little boy. I will never accept anyone blaming him. My son was too young to understand these things. They spoke to him sweetly, spent a long time gaining his trust and befriending him, and then portrayed him as the victim, saying, ‘Look, he was one of us, he was playing with us, and he died because of it.’ I will not accept that.”

Nahida Begum alleged that Apratim was being blamed in various ways through multiple Facebook accounts. “Why is my child being victim-blamed?” she asked.

Nahida Begum further said that while serving as acting proctor of Comilla University in early 2025, she had handed over many drug users and drug dealers to the police. “If my son was targeted because of that, I will not accept it,” she said.

The Comilla University teacher said, “I am not seeking justice only for my son. I am also concerned about how many more children those who killed my son might harm and how many young lives they might destroy if they are released from prison. I want a fair trial for this murder.”

Kaimul Haque, public prosecutor (PP) at the Comilla court, visited Apratim’s parents at their home on Tuesday night. He told Prothom Alo on Wednesday morning that they had gone to express their condolences to the family.

The PP further said that Nahida Begum informed them that a section of people had been spreading claims on social media and through other means that Apratim had behaved recklessly. She is already devastated by the loss of her son, he said, and such claims were causing her further distress.

Meanwhile, Comilla District Bar Association president Md Shahidullah said that no lawyer from the association would represent the accused in the Apratim murder case. He announced the decision verbally after a meeting between the university administration and leaders of the District Bar Association on Tuesday afternoon.

After the meeting, Md Shahidullah said, “From a humanitarian perspective, we have verbally decided that no member of the Bar Association will represent the accused in the Apratim murder case.”

He said this was not a formal written decision. Rather, he said, the brutality of the incident had led lawyers to adopt this position as a matter of principle out of a sense of humanitarian responsibility.

However, he said, arrangements would be made for the accused to be provided with state-appointed lawyers in accordance with the law to ensure their legal rights. “There is a risk that justice may not be ensured if there is a one-sided trial,” he said.

The meeting was held in the conference room of Comilla University. Vice-Chancellor Professor MM Shariful Karim, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Amzad Hossain Sarker, Treasurer Professor Mohammad Belal Uddin, District Bar Association President Md Shahidullah, PP Kaimul Haque, Government Pleader (GP) Tarek Abdullah, other Bar Association leaders, teachers from various university departments, officials and employees, and students attended the meeting.