The mass uprising of July: the emotional story of Antor’s mother

BSS

November 2, 2024, 12:10 p.m

Last modified: 02 November 2024, 12:15

Antor, aged 15, was killed on August 5. Photo: BSS

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Antor, aged 15, was killed on August 5. Photo: BSS

Darkness had engulfed Hamida Banu’s life and for a while she lost hope of survival in the world when her husband left her with nine-month-old Antor.

However, this harsh reality developed Hamida as a struggling mother who sacrificed her life with the promise of making her son an enlightened citizen. Basically, Asharaful Islam Antor became the only cause of her survival in the world.

15-year-old Antor became Hafez-e-Quran because his mother invested all efforts and sacrificed all personal needs. But suddenly, the killers’ bullets took away Hamida’s ‘everything’ forever as Antor embraced martyrdom on August 5.

On August 5, police fired on jubilant people as they celebrated victory after the fall of autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.

“Ever since my husband left me along with my son, I have invested all my efforts to make my son a decent one. I have always traveled to my place of work in New Market, on foot from Kamrangirchar, to save money for to ensure my son’s education,” said Antor mournfully. parent.

Hamida broke down in tears as she recalled her struggle during an interview with BSS at her residence in Dogair area under Demra police station in Jatrabari area of ​​the city recently.

As Antor’s mother found it difficult to take care of her child as she had to work outside, he grew up at his (maternal) grandmother’s house in the Dogair area, while all his maternal aunts helped raise him.

One of Antor’s aunts, Khuku Moni said in a heavy voice, “My sister sacrificed her entire life for Antor. She has not married for nine years since her husband left her thinking about Antor’s future. But I forced her to marry six years ago. “.

She added: “Although I raised Antor, his mother supported all his expenses by working outside.”

Antor’s tearful mother Hamida said she worked hard to raise her son and added, “I got my son admitted to the Holy Quran Madrasa in Hifz department where children from rich families study.”

However, she recalled the contribution of her current husband, Ferdous Khan, who is an expatriate from Malaysia, in leading Antor’s study in the Madrasah of the Holy Quran.

Hamida said Antor dreamed of joining the Bangladesh police. Hence, she enrolled him in the seventh grade at the Siddique-e-Akbar (RA) Institute in Dogair area in January this year.

“I made my son Hafiz with a dream that he would lead my namaj-e-janaza (funeral prayer) but the bullet fired by the police ruined my dream. Now who will take my body to the grave, lead the namaj-e-janaza and do my dowa?” Hamida said crying.

“I never thought that my son would leave me at such a young age. My son would have been a worthy citizen of the country. But the brutal killing reduced my achievements to zero,” added Antor’s tearful mother.

On Antor’s involvement in the anti-discrimination student movement, Khuku Moni said they were unaware that Antor regularly joined street protests.

“I knew from others. But when I asked him, he never confessed. One day, I received evidence of his involvement in the movement,” she said, adding that at the time Antor’s mother wanted to knocked, but he forbade it.

“Today, I feel that I made a mistake by forbidding his mother to beat him. If I had let her mother beat him, Antor would have stayed with us. He would not have left us at this young age.” Khuku Moni said in tears.

She said that on August 4, Antor went to the demonstration again and told his friends, “I don’t know if I’ll come back or not.”

“That day, when Antor came home, I verbally abused him and asked him not to go out because many people were shot,” she said, adding that on August 5, after having dinner in around 12 or 12.30, he sneaked out of the house.

Since then, Antor remained missing till August 7, Khuku Moni said, adding that he searched randomly around the Jatrabari area during this period but found no trace of her.

“It was beyond our imagination that he would have been shot dead, therefore, until August 7, we did not search him in the hospitals. But on August 7, my mother and I started looking for him in all the hospitals. But we couldn’t find it. him, we became more tense,” she said.

At one point, a student, who was controlling traffic in Shanir Akhra, took Khuku Moni to Dania College, taking with them a photocopy of the school’s ID card and a picture of Antor.

The student then suggested that she go to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Mugda Medical College and Hospital, saying that the bodies of those who were shot in Shanir Akhra area were sent there.

As they did not find Antor in Mugda Medical College and Hospital, they returned home.

“Meanwhile, my nephew Hridoy (elder sister’s son) gave a Facebook status stating that Antor remains missing since August 5. And following this status, I received information that Antor was no longer there. His body was in the DMCH,” lamented Khuku Moni. said.

Noting that they knew nothing about the place of his death, she said in a heavy voice, “When I received the body, I saw two bullet marks – one in the middle of the chest and one in the leg. Later, we found a video that confirmed to us that Antor was shot dead by the police”.

The video showed policemen coming out of the Jatrabari police station in droves, hunting the protesters down the street and shooting them like birds. At that time, Antor was trying to hide under a pillar of Mayor Hanif Flyover just opposite the police station to escape the bullets but failed.

Khuku Moni was crying as she showed a picture of Antor where her grandson was smiling even after his death.

Recalling the ordeal to get the body, she said the DMCH authority did not give them a death certificate in Antor’s name, instead they gave an unidentified death certificate, by which they buried Antor at Dogair cemetery.

The bereaved family members of Antor demanded the government take steps to preserve the martyrs’ graves permanently and demanded trial for all the crimes, including the killing of Antor, during the mass student uprising.