Photo : Collected

PATUAKHALI, May 8, 2025 (BSS) – The widow of Md Zakir Hossain, who embraced martyrdom during the 2024 July Uprising, demanded justice for killing her husband.  

Zakir, son of late Abdul Mannan Hawlader of Lakshmipur village in Dashmina upazila of the district, sustained a bullet injury in his lower abdomen on July 19 in the capital’s Shanir Akhra area during the anti-discrimination student movement.

He succumbed to his injury on July 24 while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), leaving his family distraught.

Salma Begum (28), the grieving widow of Zakir, burst into tears while recounting the tragic incident of her husband’s death.

“My husband had been working at a garment factory in Dhaka . . . I received a phone call on July 19 while the caller told me, ‘Your husband has been shot.’ I immediately sent my elder brother to the address they gave,” Zakir’s wailing wife said, adding, doctors refused to give treatment to Zakir at the hospital, where he was taken immediately after the incident.

Later, Salma said, her brother and others took her husband to the DMCH.

“I was in the village at that time. I desperately wanted to go to Dhaka immediately after hearing the news. But there were no vehicles available. The next day, my daughter and I tried to travel to Dhaka via Barisal, but the police stopped our bus midway and did not allow us to go,” she said tearfully.

Eventually, Salma reached Dhaka after changing multiple vehicles.

She recalled that seeing her and their daughter at the hospital, Zakir cried and asked her, “Have you come?”

Salma remembered that her husband took their 13-year-old daughter, Jidni Akter, close to him lying on the bed in the hospital. But three days after he was shot, Zakir breathed his last, she lamented.

Salma said they faced difficulties while bringing her husband’s body to their village home. “We had to face many sufferings to bring my husband’s body here,” she recalled.

Zakir was later laid to eternal rest at their family graveyard in Maichakhali.

Seeking justice for killing her husband, Salma said, “I want capital punishment of the killers,” she demanded, saying she would file a murder case.

“I haven't filed any case yet. But I will file a case. Why did they kill my husband? What was his fault?” Salma said.

After Zakir’s death, his family received Taka 2 lakh from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Taka 50,000 from and Taka 5 lakh from the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation.

Seeking support from the government, Salma said, “I request the government to arrange something permanent for us. These one-time donations don’t last. If I get a permanent solution, I can raise my daughter with dignity.”

Zakir’s daughter Jidni Akter, now in eighth grade, broke down in tears while recollecting her memories with her father.

“I miss my father a lot. Abbu used to bring me tasty food and tell me stories. He would call me ‘Amma’ over the phone. Now no one calls me that. No one loves me the way he did,” she wailed.

Demanding justice for her father, Jidni said, “I want only one punishment for my father's murderers, and that is death penalty”.

Zakir’s younger brother, Md. Imam Hossain (29), also demanded justice for killing his brother.

Besides, he urged the government to support his brother’s family so they can live with dignity. Please ensure employment or assistance for them,” she added.