Nazmul Mia

Nazmul Mia was born on February 1, 2000, in a very poor and ordinary family of Hamidul Islam and Golevan Begum in Nurpur village of Sadullapur Union of Kamarpura police station in Gaibandha district. Father Hamidul Islam was a day laborer. Nazmul was the eldest of three siblings. Elder sister Hiramoni and younger sister Ayesha were the apples of his eyes. Nazmul was a visionary and independent-minded boy. He wanted to change his life, which was plagued by the hardships of poverty. But that never happened. When the burden of the family fell on him after his father's death, as there was no land except the homestead, the little Nazmul seemed to see an unfathomable ocean. After studying up to the eighth grade, Nazmul was forced to leave his studies to help the family. Abandoning his own dreams for the future, he took a job in a garment factory (cap factory) in Dhaka, where he worked for a meager salary in exchange for inhuman labor. His only wish was to alleviate the suffering of the family, to bring a smile to the faces of his mother and sisters. He used to live in a small rented house in Shimultala Mohalla of Jamgara area of Ashulia police station in Savar, Dhaka.
He used to send more money for the family than his own needs. Even in this difficult life, his love for education remained intact. His life as a worker was full of the hardships of reality, yet he cherished the dream of moving forward. The pain of poverty, hard work, and deep love for the family made him a symbol of a real-life struggle. He got his sisters married. The plan was to build his own happy nest by marrying the girl of his mother's choice. But at this critical moment of the country, he could not but take to the streets in support of the student public. Although he did not get his father's company for long, his father was his ideal. He learned from his father not to bow down to injustice. This lesson he used till the end of his life.
Condition
Nazmul, 24, from Nurpur village in Sadullapur Upazila of Gaibandha district, was the eldest of three siblings in a very poor family. His father, Hamidul Islam, was a day laborer. After his father's death, he was the sole breadwinner of the family. The family used to run on his earnings. Besides the 3-decimal homestead land, they have no other land. All the money they had at home was spent on his treatment. Currently, his mother and elderly grandmother are living a very inhuman life.
Background of the Incident
The student-public uprising or July mass uprising refers to the combined movement of the quota reform movement 2024 and the non-cooperation movement 2024 in Bangladesh. The quota reform movement started anew on June 5, 2024, after the High Court Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court declared the circular issued by the Bangladesh government on October 4, 2018, illegal. This movement turned into a non-cooperation movement when the then Sheikh Hasina-led government started suppressing it. After weeks of protests, tensions escalated after a clash between protesters and Chhatra League members on July 15. In the following days, law enforcement agencies including police, RAB, BGB, as well as members of the Chhatra League, Jubo League and Shechashebok League student, youth and volunteer wings of the ruling Awami League were involved in violent clashes with the protesters. These clashes have resulted in numerous deaths, including protesters and children.
Documents from Dhaka Medical College and Hospital indicate that 1700 people were admitted during the protests, and 98 deaths were reported. However, doctors and hospital officials suggested that more than 100 people died in the hospital, many of which were not officially recorded. The movement that started for quota reforms by students and job seekers of various universities turned into a demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister in the face of government repression. In July 2024, hundreds of unarmed citizens were killed and thousands of students and people were injured due to the government's violent role in suppressing the protests within three weeks. Within a month, the students' protests turned into a mass uprising. The 15-year exploitation and oppression of the Awami League came to an end. In the wake of the uprising, on August 4, students and people took to the streets across the country, and the killer government forces pounced on them with weapons.
That day, Nazmul's factory break was at 2 o'clock. Around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Nazmul, along with three of his friends, participated in an anti-discrimination movement in Baipail, Ashulia. The demand for justice, the desire for freedom, was mixed in the turbulent current of the movement. But that current was stained with blood by the sound of bullets. Nazmul and one of his friends were shot. They were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The ambulance carrying them was stopped and searched in at least 5 places. Later, his friend died on August 4 while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical. Nazmul was undergoing treatment on the 4th floor, bed number 21 of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
He was taken to the operating theater around seven o'clock that morning and the bullet that hit below his chest was removed and taken out around 7 o'clock in the evening. He was first taken to the ICU and then from the ICU to the bed the next day at 5 pm. According to his relatives, despite repeated requests from the nurses, Nazmul was not given proper saline and medicine. Even the dressing was not changed properly. Although the doctors were hopeful for his recovery, he died on the evening of August 9. When his relatives went to take the body, the hospital authorities refused to release it without money. When the students were informed about this, they came and got the body released. Later he was buried in his village next to his father's grave.
Feelings of close relatives about the Shaheed
The martyr's elderly grandmother said with a tearful voice that the family used to run on his earnings. All the money at home was spent on Nazmul's treatment. I had great hopes that after my son's death, my grandson would take over the household, but God took him away too, how will we survive now. I am sick, there is no food at home for the last few days, I don't have my medicine. The martyr's younger sister Ayesha said emotionally, after the brother's death, we became destitute. How will the family run?
The martyr's elder sister's husband said, Nazmul Bhai was a very outspoken, polite and judicious person. He was like a banyan tree of the house. I have never seen him in any wrong deeds.
A neighbor said, they are the poorest family in the village. Since Nazmul's father's death, Nazmul used to run the family. After Nazmul was shot and died in the anti-discrimination student movement, no one stood by them. His family is not getting the reward for his sacrifice for the people of the country. We have an earnest request to the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement and the chief advisor and advisory board of the interim government, please take a look at this helpless family. Nazmul is the pride of our village. Our strong demand is that he be given state martyr status. A helping hand should be extended to his family.