Photo: BSS

By Ridwan Ahmed

CHITTAGONG UNIVERSITY, Aug 6, 2026 (BSS) - Outside, heavy rain poured from the afternoon sky. A power outage had plunged the Chittagong University (CU) campus into darkness, leaving the university museum silent and dim.

Amid the stillness, a mobile phone flashlight suddenly illuminated a figure standing motionless inside the museum's 'July Mass Uprising Hall,' gazing at the blood-stained shirt and pant of July martyr Hridoy Chandra Tarua. Moments later, the silence was shattered by uncontrollable sobs.

The man was none other than Ratan Chandra Tarua, father of martyr Hridoy Chandra Tarua. Invited by the CU administration to attend the July Mass Uprising Day programme on the day before, he returned to the university museum Today despite the heavy rain to visit the gallery dedicated to his son.

Inside a glass display case lies the blood-stained shirt and trousers Hridoy had been wearing when he was shot during the July Mass Uprising in Chattogram's Bahaddarhat area on July 18, 2024. After silently staring at them for several moments, the grieving father gently placed his trembling hand on the glass, as if his son were still standing on the other side. 

Unable to hold back his emotions any longer, Ratan Chandra broke down in tears. As tears streamed down his face, many of those present were also moved to tears by the heartbreaking scene.

To many visitors, the blood-stained clothes are part of a museum exhibit. But to a father, they represent his son's final touch, final memory and final embrace. Looking through the glass, he seemed to be searching for his son's face and longing to hear his voice one last time.

Pointing toward the blood-stained shirt, an emotional Ratan Chandra Tarua said, "My wife bought this shirt for him with the money she earned working as a domestic worker. He became a martyr wearing this very shirt."

Breaking into tears again, he continued, "I worked as a carpenter and my wife worked in other people's homes. We are a normal family and live in a rented house. His only dream was to complete his education and build a better future."

Ratan Chandra said Hridoy was his only son. After losing him, he brought his only daughter, her husband and their young daughter to live with him in his now-empty home.

Speaking about justice for his son's killing, he said, "I am a poor man, and my home is far from here. I do not know anyone here, so I did not want to file a case. Another complainant filed a case naming 265 accused. But they are using that case for politics and business. I want justice not only for my son's murder, but also against those who are exploiting his murder case for personal gain."

Hridoy Chandra Tarua was a student of the 2020-21 academic session in the Department of History at Chittagong University. He hailed from an underprivileged family in Mirzaganj upazila of Patuakhali district. His father, Ratan Chandra Tarua, works as a carpenter.

On July 18, 2024, Hridoy was shot during the quota reform movement in the Bahaddarhat area of Chattogram city. He later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on July 23.