Md. Sohel Ahmed

Sohel Ahmed was born on June 17, 2003, in Kakura village of Biyanibazar Upazila, Sylhet District. He grew up in a typical rural family. His father, Takhlisur Rahman, was an honest and hardworking man, and his mother, Parveen Begum, took on all the responsibilities of the household. The financial condition of this eight-member family was very limited, but they lived happily.
Sohel was very hardworking from childhood. His dream was to eradicate his family's poverty one day. However, the reality of his life was difficult. To reduce the family's financial burden, he worked as a tile setter. He had to enter the struggle of life in his teenage years.
As he grew older, Sohel became more responsible. The country's situation became heated during the 2024 student movement. Sohel also joined the movement demanding the quality of education and students' rights. He was a voice for truth, protesting against injustice. But that movement brought the final consequence of his life. He lost his life due to violence in the 2024 anti-discrimination student movement. Like many young people in the country, Sohel also fell victim to an untimely death, leaving his dreams unfulfilled. Sohel's death was a matter of deep sorrow not only for his family but also for the entire village. The end of his difficult life was as tragic as the history of his sacrifice.
Feelings about the Shaheed
Sohel Ahmed's father, Takhlisur Rahman, reminiscing his son, said, "Sohel was my eldest son and he was a very good person. He used to pray five times a day regularly. He took on the burden of the family at a young age, sacrificing his own dreams to do everything for his siblings' education. He was source of hope for our family. It is very difficult to accept his passing like this."
Detailed Account of the Incident
On July 20, 2024, at 4 PM, a curfew was in effect in Narayanganj. There was tension everywhere, and the student-public anti-discrimination movement was at its peak. At that time, protesters set fire to the Narayanganj Passport Office. The fire quickly spread throughout the building. That day, Sohel Ahmed was working as a tile setter at a branch of Dutch-Bangla Bank on the 3rd floor of the building. He was doing his normal day's work and unaware that it was the last day of his life. There was a police camp on the 8th floor of that building. To prevent the protesters from attacking that camp, the police closed the gate. As a result, there was no way out for those trapped inside the building. The fire continued to spread, and Sohel and two others were trapped in the fire. As the police closed the gate, no one could come down; there was no way to escape.
Within moments, Sohel Ahmed and three others tragically died in the terrible flames of the fire. Later, their charred bodies were recovered in an autopsy. When Sohel's body was brought to his village home in Kakura, Biyanibazar, Sylhet, a shadow of mourning descended on the entire village. The family lost their only source of hope. Sohel, who had taken on the burden of the family from an early age, was lost forever. Although he did not study himself, he sacrificed his dreams for his siblings. His dream was to make his siblings good people and free the family from poverty. Sohel's untimely death has left his family distraught. The eight-member family is now living in extreme hardship. Their only breadwinner is no more. Sohel's death shattered the dreams not only of his family but also of the entire village and his acquaintances.
Family Economic Condition
Sohel Ahmed was a hardworking young man from Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, who was constantly struggling with poverty. His family consisted of eight members, with all responsibilities on his shoulders. His father, Takhlisur Rahman, was a sharecropper who did not have his own land and tried to support the family by cultivating crops on others' land. His mother, Parveen Begum, managed the household chores, but the curse of poverty never left their lives. Sohel worked as a tile setter—a small income in exchange for hard work, which was a huge challenge to put food on the family's table and cover the educational expenses of his siblings. Still, Sohel never gave up.
His desire was to educate his siblings and build a good future for them. But these dreams remain incomplete today. Sohel is no more. His sudden death has plunged the entire family into an indescribable void. The light of hope that the family had, after that light went out, the household seemed to come to a standstill. The education of siblings, the family's food—everything is now covered in uncertainty. The poverty of this family is now even more pitiful, even deeper. Sohel's death has extinguished not only his life but all the hopes of the family.
Personal Information of the Shaheed at a Glance
Name : Md. Sohel Ahmed
Occupation : Day laborer
Date of Birth : 17/06/2003
Permanent and Current Address : Village: Kakura, Union: Kakura, Police Station: Biyanibazar,
: District: Sylhet
Father : Takhlisur Rahman (Age: 50, Occupation: Agriculture)
Mother's Name : Parveen Begum (Occupation: Housewife, Age: 40)
Number of Family Members : 9
Number of Brothers and Sisters : 3 sisters and 3 brothers
Rubel Ahmed, Age : 18, Occupation: Student,
: Institution: Jamshed Ahmad High School, 9th grade
Jewel Ahmed, Age : 12, Occupation: Student,
: Institution: Rahmatabad Darus Sunnah Alia Madrasa, 6th grade
Tuyel Ahmed, Age : 11, Institution: Kakura Government Primary School, 5th grade
Farida Khatun, Age : 16, Institution: Jamshed Ahmad High School, 8th grade
Abeda Khatun, Age : 13, Institution: Jamshed Ahmad High School, 8th grade
Anjuma Khatun, Age : 7, Institution: Jamshed Ahmad High School, 1st grade
Proposals
Sohel Ahmed's family primarily depended on him. The family's livelihood was affected after his Martyrdom. Because Sohel was the family's only breadwinner. For such a large family, there is only one mud house, in which it is very difficult for them to live together. It would be beneficial for them if a new residence could be arranged. Arranging a business for the father would ensure bread and butter for the young children. At the same time, arrangements should be made for the school-going siblings to continue their education.