Shaheed Md Ismail. Photo : Collected

By Barun Kumar Dash

DHAKA, May 21, 2025 (BSS) - Taslima Akhter remains distraught, tears streaming down her face, as she continues to mourn the loss of her beloved son, who was shot dead during the July uprising.

Although nearly ten months have passed since Ismail's death, the grieving mother still finds no solace-her helpless cries echoing the pain that time has failed to heal.
 
In Nabinagar, on the outskirts of the capital, the very earth and sky seem to tremble with the tormented cries of Ismail's mother, who breaks down in tears whenever she recalls her adored son.
 
Relatives and neighbours also get tearful when they try to console her.
 
Following the death of her only son, Taslima has been living with her daughter, as her husband has been missing, according to neighbouring people.
 
Md Ismail, 17, was gunned down by police near the 'Allah Karim' mosque in Mohammadpur during the uprising on July 19, 2024.
 
Recalling that day, Taslima said, "In the morning, Ismail came home with his salary. Later, I gave him a meal. We then used to live in Kamrangirchar. Then he left, saying he was going to his grandmother's house in Nabinagar, near Dhaka Udyan in Mohammadpur."
 
She said she returned home after working at people's houses but received no news of Ismail. She then phoned him, but he didn't answer. Later, around 9 pm, one of his friends informed her that Ismail had been shot dead by the police.
 
"Upon receiving the news, we rushed to Mohammadpur and searched everywhere but couldn't find the body. We heard that he had been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. We went there and identified his body at 1 am," she said.

Taslima added, "He was buried at Azimpur graveyard in the afternoon of July 20, after completion of an autopsy."

Though Ismail's ancestral home is in Jagannathpur under Bhairab upazila of Kishoreganj district, he was born in Kamrangirchar. His father, Jamis, is 40. Ismail had a seven-year-old sister named Rashni.
After Ismail's death, his mother Taslima and sister Rashni moved to Nabinagar in the Dhaka Udyan area, where Ismail's grandparents and two uncles live.

Rashni is currently studying in first grade at a local school, Fulkoli School.

Taslima Akhter said, "That day, I couldn't cry at the hospital, fearing police harassment. He was shot in the neck. I couldn't even look at my son's face."
 
She said, "My son studied up to the fifth grade. Due to financial constraints, he could not continue his studies. Later, he started working at a shoe factory in Old Dhaka's Islampur."
 
His father was indifferent to the family. He did not pay any expenses for the family. After the child was killed, he did not even go to the hospital. Since then, we have had no contact with him.
 
During a visit, it was found that Ismail's mother and sister were renting a one-room house on the ground floor. The kitchen is in the middle of the room.
 
The rent for a small room is Taka 3,500. There is not much light and air in the room. The atmosphere is damp. There is not much furniture. Just looking at the condition of the house, it is clear that their family is living in extreme hardship.
 
Taslima said, "I had high hopes for my son. He would run our family. He would remove our poverty and hardship. Who knew that hope would end like this? All my dreams have been shattered.
 
"Who will I live with now? I can't look at the girl's face. I want justice for the murder of my son," she said, crying.
 
Ismail's younger sister Rashni said, "We had many dreams about our brother. Everyone in the family wanted him to grow up and fulfil all of our mother's dreams. Now there is no one left to look after us; who will look after me and my mother?"
 
"I want strict justice for those who shot and killed my brother; I want them hanged," she said.
 
Ismail's grandmother Jharna said, "Ismail was a very good boy. We cannot accept that he would die in this way. There is no one to look after the family except Ismail."
 
 "I want justice for those who killed my son. My son gave his life for the country," she went on saying. 
Regarding the case, Taslima said, "I have filed a case against 15 people with the Mohammadpur Police Station seeking justice for my son's murder."