Emon, 21, who was shot while participating in a student protest in Tangail on August 4, succumbed to his injuries yesterday at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Hailing from Tangail’s Gopalpur upazila, Emon, a college student, was a beacon of hope for his poor family. After his father Julhas Sheikh, a rickshaw-puller, passed away when he was a sixth grader, Emon had been working alongside his studies to support his family.
His mother Rina Begum works as a house help.
After completing his HSC from Moniruzzaman Khan BM College, Emon got admitted to Hemnagar Degree College, and began doing tuitions to support educational expenses for himself as well as his three younger siblings.
“On August 4, Emon was shot by police in his stomach during a protest in the Gorai area of Tangail’s Mirzapur upazila. He was first taken to Kumudini Hospital and later shifted to Lake View Hospital in Dhaka’s Uttara. He was admitted to DMCH on August 6 as his condition deteriorated. He had been under treatment at the ICU there for 12 days,” said his uncle Nawab Ali.
Emon’s family had to borrow Tk 1 lakh to spend for his treatment, and with his untimely demise, they now find themselves in dire straits, Nawab added.
“We suffered a lot due to financial strains all these years, yet we had hopes as Emon had been working hard to help the family after his father’s death. He was doing tuitions beside his studies to bear the educational costs for his three younger siblings. With his demise, all our hopes are lost,” said Rina Begum.
Emon’s first namaj-e janaja was held at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka yesterday noon before his body was taken to his village home and buried at a local graveyard.