Md. Saidul Islam Shovon

"That day was Friday. Shovon was eating biryani (a traditional dish) at noon, his friends were calling him repeatedly. The boy left in a hurry after eating...little did I know that would be my son's last meal!" Shovon's mother, Shahnaz Begum, said while crying.
Shaheed Saidul Islam Shovon was born on December 16, 2005, in Uttar Kolapara village, Rarhikhal Union, Sreenagar Thana, Munshiganj District. His father's name is Md. Nazrul Islam and his mother's name is Shahnaz Begum. He was the only child of his parents. The Shaheed's father lived in Kamrangirchar, the capital, for business reasons. Shaheed Shovon was studying at Sheikh Burhan Uddin Post Graduate College. This promising, talented student was preparing to go to Japan for higher education. He had even prepared all the necessary documents. It was the time when the movement to save the country began. The general people of this country took to the streets to remove fascist Hasina and establish an egalitarian and just, discrimination-free state. Shaheed Shovon participated in this movement with unwavering determination. He took a stand with the anti-discrimination student public in the heart of Dhaka city, the New Market area. On July 19th, when the Awami League, Jubo League, Chhatra League, and police fired indiscriminately at the student-public gathering, he was shot in the head. Local people took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where the doctor on duty declared him dead.
Circumstances of Martyrdom
July 19, 2024, was a landmark day in the history of the anti-discrimination student movement. On this day, student leaders announced an unprecedented program called a "complete shutdown." People all over Bangladesh declared solidarity with this program.
The widespread participation of the general public made the desperate autocratic killer Hasina government fearful and confused. They started efforts to suppress the movement at any cost. They adopted programs such as widespread propaganda, using the courts to achieve their goals, and killing people with the police and BGB. The student public also announced a counter-program, a complete shutdown, on July 19th. To implement this program, the student and the general masses took a stand in the important area of New Market in the capital. Shaheed Saidul Islam Shovon, in solidarity with the furious student public, also took a stand in the New Market area. Around 12:30 pm, the terrorist forces unleashed by fascist killer Hasina, the armed cadres of the Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League, joined hands with the police and attacked the program. He was shot in the head by their indiscriminate gunfire and died on the spot. The protesting public took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where the doctor on duty declared him dead.
Another protestor, Alamgir Hossain, shared these words about Shaheed Shovon:
"We were then in front of the New Market petrol pump. There was a chase and counter-chase. Gunshots were ringing out repeatedly. Looking back, I saw a boy sitting hunched over in a prostration position. By then, the police had moved further ahead, past us. I ran to the boy. I hugged him. He looked at me and said, 'Brother, please take me to the hospital.' As soon as he said this, his body leaned against me. We quickly took a rickshaw. The boy was still alive. I unlocked his phone with his finger. The ID card hanging around his neck read 'Saidul Islam Shovon, College Sheikh Burhan Uddin.' I called a number from the dialed number list and informed them, 'Shovon has been shot. We are taking him to Dhaka Medical. Please inform his family.'"
"On the way, Shovon took a deep breath. I feared he might have died."
"We took him to the hospital. There were injured and dead people everywhere. There was crying and commotion all around. A doctor checked his pulse and said, 'He was already dead.'"
Comments about the Shaheed
"In the evening, a boy from the neighborhood came and said, 'Auntie, Shovon has been shot, he has been taken to Dhaka Medical.' His father was in India at the time. I rushed to the hospital like a madwoman... I went and saw my Shovon lying on a trolley in a corner of the emergency room, a few boys standing beside him... I ran to Shovon, my son's body was lifeless. I shook him so much, but he didn't say anything. My Shovon was no more!" Shahnaz, mother of Shovon, said, breaking down in tears.
Shovon's mother, Shahnaz Begum, said, "We didn't know my son had such love for the country, that he would sacrifice himself for the country! We had so many dreams for him, everything is over. My well-organized family is finished! I don't know how we will spend the rest of our lives! We have nothing to ask of the government. May this country be the way Shovon dreamed it would be, the way he died dreaming. May the people of this country remember my son and not forget his sacrifice."
Delwar Hossain, the acting principal of Burhan Uddin College, said, "Shovon was very brave. He is our national hero. The new era of this country has begun with the sacrifice of young people like Shovon. We will not forget the contribution of these national heroes."
Shovon's uncle, Monir Hossain, said, "His parents had many dreams for this child. Everyone in the family wanted Shovon to grow up and fulfill all his parents' dreams. But Shovon has been Martyred for the country."
Personal Information of the Shaheed at a Glance
Name : Shaheed Md. Saidul Islam Shovon
Father's Name : Md. Nazrul Islam
Mother's Name : Shahnaz Begum
Date of Birth : December 16, 2005
Permanent Address : Village: Uttar Kolapara, Union: Rarhikhal, Thana: Sreenagar,
District : Munshiganj
Present Address : Kamrangirchar, Dhaka
Marital Status : Unmarried
Place of Injury : New Market, Dhaka
Time of Injury : July 19th, 12:30 PM
Time of Martyrdom : July 19, 2024, 12:30 PM, Dhaka Medical College Hospital
Those Who Attacked
and killed : Terrorist forces of Awami League, Jubo League, Chhatra League, and police.
Recommendations
Financial assistance is not needed, but regular contact with the family is necessary.