Sumaiya Akter. Photo : Collected

By Nusrat Supti

NARAYANGANJ, May 27, 2025 (BSS) – Sumaiya Akter, a 20-year-old mother, was shot dead by a stray bullet from police firing from a helicopter while standing on her balcony, leaving behind a 7-month-old daughter who has begun to say “Ma”—a word her mother longed to hear but never could and a family struggling with grief, fear, and uncertainty.

In the afternoon of July 20, 2024, Sumaiya was fatally struck in the head by a stray bullet from police firing from a helicopter while standing on the balcony of her Siddhirganj home during the July mass uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina bringing an end to 16-year of dictatorship

.Describing the incident, Sumaiya’s mother Asma Begum (44) said, “Gunshots echoed all around that afternoon. Helicopters circled the sky. People were crowding on rooftops to catch a glimpse. From our home, you cannot see the Dhaka-Chattagram highway, but I stepped into the balcony to collect the laundry. Sumaiya had just lulled her baby to sleep and came out to see what was happening. “Ma, what’s going on? Why is everyone looking from the roof?” she asked.

“Moments later, we heard a sound—not too loud, just a pop. When I turned to look, Sumaiya collapsed. I thought maybe she fainted from weakness. But, when I reached for her, blood gushed out from her head. The floor was drenched in blood. I screamed for help—“My daughter has been shot!” But by the time we reached the hospital, she was gone. She couldn’t even say, “Ma, look after my baby,” she added, tears rolling down her face.

It was late afternoon when a stray bullet struck Sumaiya in the head as she stood on the balcony of her home. She died instantly, leaving behind her 7-month-old daughter, Suaiba .

Since that day, Suaiba has had no contact with her father, Jahid Islam, 24, according to the family. The infant’s only refuge now is her grandmother, Asma.

Hailing from Mehendiganj in Barishal, Sumaiya had been living in Siddhirganj with her family for several years. She was the third among five siblings. Married two and a half years ago to Jahid, an employee at a local factory, her marital life was far from happy. Their daughter, Suaiba, was born on May 12, 2024.
 
When the BSS reporter visited her home recently, little Suaiba was asleep—weak and sick. She has just begun to babble. The sound of “Ma” has started to form on her lips, but her mother is no longer in this world to hear it.

“She left behind her sleeping baby and died,” said Asma Begum, visibly broken. “For two days after her death, the baby cried for breast milk. She didn’t take the bottle properly until the third day.

Sumaiya used to ask, ‘Ma, when do babies start saying ‘Ma’?’ I would say, ‘Soon, sweetheart.’ Now that she’s finally saying it, Sumaiya isn’t here. When she calls ‘Ma,’ I can’t hold back the tears.”

Sumaiya had named her daughter to rhyme with her own—Suaiba. “She looks just like her mother. When she smiles, it’s as if Sumaiya is smiling at me again,” said Asma.

But the family's grief was compounded by fear. After Sumaiya was buried in Siddhirganj, local activists from Chhatra League harassed the family, attempting to silence them. However, things began to change after August 5, when Sumaiya’s brother-in-law, Billal Hossain, filed a police case with Siddhirganj Thana.

“My sister never found happiness,” said Shakil, her 17-year-old brother. “After marriage, she was tortured for dowry. She was always quiet. Her only joy was her daughter. But fate was cruel—she died just two and a half months after giving birth. My sister left her child an orphan. Her husband hasn’t even come to see the baby.”

Asma Begum is deeply worried about Suaiba ’s future. “Sumaiya’s father died during Covid-19 outbreak. Since then, our family has struggled. My son has a small job that barely keeps us going. I don’t know how I’ll raise my granddaughter. We received some assistance, but now Jahid and his father are pressuring us for the money.”

As Suaiba enters her seventeen month, her coos fill the quiet home where once Sumaiya's laughter rang out. Her grandmother wipes away tears each time the baby calls, “Ma.”