Arafat Munshi

Arafat Munshi, an 8th-grade student at Birds School and College, was a young, dreamy, and bright student. Growing up in the small village of Bonogram in Gopalganj, Arafat dreamed of serving the people by joining the army. His rickshaw-puller father, Mr. Swapan, also shared the same thoughts. His mother, Maya Begum, was no different. Born into a family with limited land and resources, Arafat Munshi went to the police box in front of Baipal intersection at 10:00 am to implement the ongoing anti-discrimination student-public movement program in the country. The agitating students and people began to gather. Shaheed Arafat Munshi had been actively participating in the anti-discrimination student-public movement from the very beginning. Last Monday, August 5, the anti-discrimination student-public movement announced the 'March to Dhaka' program demanding the resignation of the murderous, fascist, autocratic Sheikh Hasina. The government imposed a curfew to resist the said program. When the autocratic fascist Hasina fled in the afternoon, Shaheed Arafat joined the victory procession that was taking place across the country. At 4:30 pm, the police started firing indiscriminately in front of Ashulia police station. When a bullet hit him below the chest, he fell to the ground. Local people took him to Gana Swasthya Medical College Hospital.
"I will depart - yet as long as there is life in my body today. I will cleanse the world with all my might, I will make this world habitable for the child This is my firm promise to the newborn."
Today's Gopalganj city has grown up along the banks of the Modhumoti. In ancient times, this area belonged to the region of Bengal. During the Sultanate and Mughal eras, Hindu kings ruled this region. During the Permanent Settlement (1793), the Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj district was under Jessore district, and the rest was included in Dhaka-Jamalpur district. In 1807, Muksudpur police station was attached to Faridpur district from Jessore. One of the parganas of Faridpur district was named Jamalpur. Gopalganj Sadar and Kotalipara were under Jamalpur pargana. In 1812, the Chandna (Modhumoti) river was designated as the dividing line between Jessore and Dhaka-Jamalpur districts. The Gopalganj-Madaripur area was a vast wetland. There was a high incidence of boat robberies here. For this reason, Madaripur subdivision was established in 1854 after being separated from Bakerganj.
In 1872, a police station named Gopalganj was formed in the Madaripur subdivision. In 1873, the Madaripur subdivision was attached to the Faridpur district from the then Bakerganj district. In 1909, the Gopalganj subdivision was formed by dividing the Madaripur subdivision. The Muksudpur police station of Faridpur subdivision was included in the newly formed Gopalganj subdivision along with Gopalganj and Kotalipara police stations.
The first sub-divisional administrator of Gopalganj was Mr. Suresh Chandra Sen. In 1910, the Sub-Divisional Administrator's Bench Court was upgraded to a Criminal Court. In 1921, Gopalganj was upgraded to a town. According to the census, the population of Gopalganj town was then 3,478. In 1925, a civil court was established in Gopalganj.
In 1936, Kashiyani police station was formed by dividing the Muksedpur police station. In 1974, Tungipara police station was formed by dividing the Gopalganj Sadar police station. On February 1, 1984, the Gopalganj subdivision was upgraded to a district. The first District Administrator of Gopalganj district was Mr. A.F.M. Ehia Chowdhury. The current District Administrator, Mr. Kazi Mahbubul Alam, has been in charge since December 04, 2022. This is where Shahid Arafat Munshi, the son of rickshaw puller Swapan, was born. Shahid Arafat Munshi, a meritorious student born into a poor family, dreamed of serving the country by becoming a high-ranking officer in the army when he grew up.
Dramatic Hospital Journey
While the ambulance carrying the injured Arafat Munshi was passing through Dhaka Shahbagh intersection, the police and BGB patrolling there stopped the ambulance. They blocked their vehicle. The murderous police and cruel BGB would not allow the injured Arafat Munshi to be admitted to the hospital. The people helping the injured Arafat Munshi tried to explain to them in various ways. But they would not allow this patient to be taken to the hospital in any way. Otherwise, they would lose their jobs. A lot of time passed while trying to convince these two forces who were licking the boots of the autocrat in various ways. The autocratic police and BGB would not allow the injured patient to be admitted to any hospital under any circumstances.
On the other hand, the condition of the injured Arafat Munshi was very bad. Blood was constantly flowing from his body. At such a time, a new strategy took root in the minds of the people to save the injured Arafat Munshi. They remembered the traditional character of the police of Bangladesh. Immediately, they took a police officer aside and handed him some money and requested him to manage the higher officer. With the efforts of that corrupt police, it finally worked. Then again, the ambulance carrying the injured Arafat Munshi rushed towards Dhaka Gana Swasthya Medical. The ambulance reached the emergency department of Dhaka Gana Swasthya Medical College Hospital at around 5:45 pm.
Obstacles to Hospital Admission
When they reached the hospital to admit the injured Arafat Munshi, there were obstacles there as well. They were very reluctant to admit those injured by the forces of the autocratic government. It seems as if they have leased the whole country. At such a moment, it is not understood what anyone of Arafat should do.
In such a spectacle, the doctor on duty declared him dead at 6:00 pm.
Martyr's Personal Information at a Glance
Name: Shaheed Arafat Munshi
Birth: January 1, 2011
Occupation: Student
School Name: Birds School and College
Permanent Address: Village: Choto Bonogram, Union: Maharajpur, Thana: Muksudpur, District: Gopalganj
Current Address: House: Bottola, Area: Palashbari, Thana: Ashulia, District: Dhaka
Father: Swapan
Occupation and Age: Rickshaw puller & 35
Mother: Maya Begum
Occupation and Age: Housewife & 34
Number of Family Members: 2
Proposals
1. Arrange for permanent employment for the father and mother of Shaheed Arafat Munshi.
2. Try to continue a lifelong monthly grant of Tk 15,000 for the martyr's family.