by Borun Kumar Dash  

DHAKA, June 5, 2025 (BSS) – Fifteen-year-old Mohammad Rustam was steadfast in his commitment to fighting against injustice and discrimination. Since his convictions ran deeper than fear, the ninth-grade student of National Bangla High School in the city’s Mirpur area, Rustam became one of the youngest martyrs of the anti-discrimination student movement that swept Bangladesh in July, 2024.

It was Friday, July 19 — a day that will forever haunt his family. Around 6.30pm, Rustam was “shot by police” during the protest in front of Shah Ali Market in Mirpur-10. Within 30 minutes, he succumbed to his injuries.

Rustam’s parents had begged him to stay home after a rubber bullet had struck him just a day earlier (on July 18) before his martyrdom. “You are our sweet son, what will we do if we lose you?” his parents tried to keep him away from the movement with these emotional words.   

But his reply was straight: “If you confine me inside, who will fight? If every parent hides their children, who will protest? How can we let our brothers die while we sit at home?”

Rustam’s grief stricken father, Md Mainuddin (40), broke down while recalling those words in an interview with BSS at their rented house in the city’s Mirpur-2 area. He shared the pain of a father left with nothing but memories.

Rustam’s family hailed from Mirzapur village in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi district. His father, Md Mainuddin, has been working at a tailoring shop in Mirpur for 25 years while his mother, Masufira Begum (34), is a garment worker. Rustam was the youngest of three siblings. His older sister, Kulsum Akter, passed HSC exam, and his brother, Md Jisan, studies in class 8.

Rustam was a bright, compassionate, and fearless student who believed deeply in justice and patriotism.

Recalling the tragic incident, his father tearfully said, “After Jumu’ah prayers, my son returned home and left following a phone call from his friends. Before stepping out, he told his mother, ‘Ma, if we don’t go to the movement, how will the country be free?’”

Rustam’s sister, Kulsum, recalled, “My brother left after Jumu’ah prayer. Chaos was prevailing across the Mirpur area. All of our family members were waiting at home for his return, but around 6.30pm we heard he had been shot.”

She said immediately they rushed to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and found Rustam’s lifeless body. He had a gunshot wound in his neck.

“However, without a death certificate, we took him to our village home at Raipura upazila in Narsingdi that night and buried him the next morning in our village graveyard,” Kulsum said in a sobbing tone.

Referring to witnesses, she said around 5.35pm, Rustam was “hit by police gunfire” under Shah Ali Plaza. Locals rushed him to Al-Helal Hospital, where he was given first aid and sent to Suhrawardy medical, however, he was declared dead around 6.30pm there.

Rustam’s father said they had so many dreams centering him. He was supposed to change their family’s future.

Despite dire financial struggles, the family had supported Rustam’s education with hope and determination. “I’m drowning in debt trying to educate my children. Rustam was our hope. Now that hope is buried,” Mainuddin said with heavy grief.

Seeking justice for his son’s killing, Mainuddin, “What crime did he commit to be killed like this? From whom do we seek justice? Who will hold the trial and give compensation? We’ll never get him back, but if the government ensures justice, we will find peace.”

He said required measures should be taken so that no dictator can come to state power in the future.

“Thousands of students were martyred or injured during the 2024 July Uprising. Their sacrifice gave us a free country. We must ensure no dictator ever returns to power and no more mothers lose their children,” Rustam’s grieving father said, adding, those responsible for mass killing must face music.