Md. Zulkarnain

Md. Zulkarnain was a tenth-grade student at JL Model School and College. He lived in Savar. His village home is in Swarup village of Pabna. Elderly grandfather, grandmother and families of three uncles live in the village. When Zulkarnain's family comes to the village for Eid, they stay at his uncle's house. The martyr's father, Abdul Hai Al Hadi, runs a small homeopathy shop in Savar. His family's livelihood depends on his income. They have to pay 12 thousand taka per month for house and shop rent. Shaheed Zulkarnain dreamed of growing up to be very big. His dream was to become a cricketer. He used to play regularly in his own academy. He also expressed his desire to become a big businessman. He used to say, "I will never work under anyone. If I have to work, then I will join the army." Shaheed Zulkarnain was not only a dreamer; he was also a fighter. He was actively participating in the anti-discrimination movement of the students. He had indomitable courage to stand against the oppression of the autocratic Sheikh Hasina's administration. When his father forbade him, he would say, "Father, if something happens, I will be martyred like Abu Sayeed. You have taught me all my life to protest against injustice, why are you telling me to stop today?"
Description of the incident
On August 5, 2024, Martyr Julkarnain asked for permission from his mother to join the movement. Ignoring his father's objection, he said, "Father, today I will not accept any restrictions."
That afternoon, Julkarnain joined the student crowd at the Baipal intersection. On that historic day of the fall of the autocratic Sheikh Hasina, the police opened fire on the protesting students. At 3:45 PM, a bullet struck Julkarnain in the neck. The students quickly rushed him to Enam Medical College Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital, but at 5:37 PM, this brave young soul passed away.
Before his death, Julkarnain said, "I am the eldest son of my parents; please take care of them."
The grieving mother's heartache seems endless. She says, "My son always stayed at home. Now I keep looking at the chair in the house, and it feels like my son is sitting there."
Julkarnain's elderly grandfather, Abdur Rahim, is drowning in sorrow. His words are heavy with grief: "My grandson was a very good boy. Whenever he came to the village, he was very quiet. They killed my innocent grandson." He continues, "He was coming home for the last Eid, but after that, I never saw my grandson's face again. Now, my grandson has come back as a corpse. How could they shoot such a quiet, gentle boy?"
The martyr's father told Daily Samakal that, "I was in prayer. My son glanced at my face and left, never to return. He went to the grave with bullets in his body, and on the Day of Judgment, he will rise with those bullets. I had many dreams for my son, but they are all gone."
The students' movement against inequality was a loud protest against the corruption, injustice, and oppression of the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina. The cruelty of Sheikh Hasina's regime has taken the lives of many dream-filled young people, like Julkarnain.
"I was in prayer. My son glanced at my face and left, never to return. He went to the grave with bullets in his body, and on the Day of Judgment, he will rise with those bullets. I had many dreams for my son, but they are all gone."