Photo : Collected

NOAKHALI, May 2, 2025 (BSS) - Parents of Mahmudul Hasan Rizvi, a 20-year-old student shot dead on July 18 during the anti-discrimination student movement in Dhaka's Uttara area, demanded justice for their son's killing. 

A bright and determined student, Mahmudul completed his SSC from Pouro Kalyan High School in Maijdee and recently graduated with a four-year Diploma in Electronics from Lakshmipur Polytechnic Institute. 

Mahmudul's family lives in a rented house near Burlington Mor in Maijdee in the district town. He was the eldest of three siblings. His younger brother is in class nine and his sister is a fourth-grade student at a local government school.

Earlier in July, he had started practical training at a private company in Dhaka, marking the first step toward his goal of supporting his family. 

Mahmudul's weeping mother Farida Yasmin, 40, said, "What was my son's fault? Why was he taken from me? Who killed him? I want justice for my son's death."

Though Mahmudul was a resident of Char Kailash of Hatiya municipality area of the district, he was laid to his eternal rest at a graveyard at his maternal grandparents' home in Mohammadpur (Boyarchar) village in Hatiya's Haroni Union.

On July 2 last year, his mother dropped him off at a mess in Dhaka where he lived with three other classmates.

Talking to BSS, Mahmudul's grieving mother said she talked to her son over the phone in the afternoon on July 18. "My son told me that they had no fish and vegetables in their mess. They hadn't stepped out of the mess for three days due to the turmoil situation," sobbing Farida said.

Mahmudul told his mother that he had planned to leave for Noakhali that evening, observing the situation.

But just hours later, a phone call shattered the family's world. One of Mahmudul's friends called his mother, saying her son had fallen ill and urged her to come to Dhaka immediately. By the time she arrived, it was too late.

"I went to Dhaka to heal my son, not to bring back his dead body. My son promised to return home. How will I live now without him?" Farida wailed.

Mahmudul's father, Md Jamal Uddin (45), a non government development agency officer, described his son as quiet, responsible and focused on his studies.

"He never caused trouble. His goal was to finish training, find a job and support the family. But one bullet ended everything," he tearfully said. 

Mahmudul's friend and eyewitness Sourav Hasan recounted the moment of the incident. He said around 6pm on July 18, they four friends including Mahmudul stepped out for snacks. When they reached near Rajlaxmi in Uttara, suddenly gunfire erupted.

"We were running, but a bullet struck Mahmudul in the head," Sourav said. "We couldn't even figure out where the shot came from." He was rushed to Crescent Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Despite his unimaginable loss, Jamal Uddin finds solace thinking that the country was freed from autocracy in exchange for his son's life.

The family has received support from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the local administration. Jamal Uddin noted that the administration has stayed in regular contact with them.

Noakhali Deputy Commissioner (DC) Khandakar Ishtiaque Ahmed said the government has already made lists of the injured and martyred in the uprising. 

As per government instructions, he said, they will continue to support their families of July victims.