Md. Ruhan Islam

The revolution of '24 was not a movement of people from any specific profession. People of all classes, regardless of party affiliation, ethnicity, and profession, participated in it. Shaheed Ruhan Islam is the life story of a young man engaged in the struggle for life at a young age. Our martyr under discussion is a shining example of martyrdom from among the working-class people.
Shaheed Md. Ruhan Islam was born on December 29, 2006, in the Brahmanpara area of the Sadar Municipality of Jessore District. He was known as an inquisitive and responsible boy from his childhood. He was very dear to his father, Md. Mokhsedur Rahman, and mother, Rina Khatun. From 2017 to 2020, Ruhan studied at the Nurani Madrasa in Gopibagh, Dhaka. During this time, he acquired skills in both Islamic and general education.
After finishing his madrasa life, Ruhan returned to Jessore and enrolled in the Job in Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment (RAISE) program under Jagoroni Chakra Foundation for a course in Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (RAC). There, he began to dream of a successful career after receiving training. He learned the work practically and was preparing to open his own AC repair shop. His desire was to provide financial stability to his family through his own business and to stand on his own feet.
Ruhan's family is an ordinary middle-class family. His father, Mokhsedur Rahman, runs a small grocery store, which is the main source of income for their family. However, due to his father's complex kidney, liver, and heart diseases, the family was in dire financial straits. His elder brother, Ratul Miji, is a second-year student at the Upshohor Degree College and he was also sharing the family's financial responsibilities. Even so, Ruhan was a ray of hope for fulfilling the family's needs.
Detailed Description of the Incident
The July revolution proved all historical narratives wrong. Like a phoenix bird, the students and the public descended onto the slippery path. Just as there was direct participation of the upper class, middle class, and students in this revolution, so was the self-sacrifice of a large part of the lower middle class. While the struggles of the upper class or the urban middle class are discussed, the fearless struggles of the lower middle class have been obscured from the revolution. This struggle was the struggle of rickshaw pullers, grocers, and all professionals.
Even people who struggle to put food on the table for their families participated in this movement. The only reason was that the oppression of the long fifteen and a half years of fascism had reached an unbearable state. And so, the whole country became turbulent with the one-point demand of the students and the public. This fight did not respect age. There were fifteen-year-old youths here, as well as sixty-year-old elders. This gunpowder of revolution was ignited in the heart of an eighteen-year-old young man who runs a small grocery store. His name is Rohan Islam. With his father suffering from liver problems, the responsibility of looking after the entire family was entrusted to Shaheed Rohan. Despite being plagued by so many problems, Shaheed Rohan Islam took to the streets to protect the country, for liberation and the needs of the revolution.
Shaheed Rohan was active from the very beginning of the anti-discrimination student and public quota reform movement. On August 5, the student public occupied the streets of Jessore and became vocal with slogans demanding the fall of the autocrat. At 2 pm, some miscreants, who were attackers on the student public, set fire to the printing press and Zabeer Hotel of Jessore's terror, and former Awami League MP Shahin Chaklader. The students participating in the procession entered the hotel to rescue the people trapped inside.
Shaheed Rohan, along with his friends, participated in the rescue work at Zabeer Hotel at Chitra Mor. Around 8 pm, a phone call came to Ruhan's family, where they were told by someone identifying themselves as being from the fire service, "Your brother has been rescued from the 8th floor of Zabeer Hotel." Ruhan's family quickly went to the hospital and learned that they had lost their beloved son forever. When his lifeless body was handed over to the family, the whole family was stunned with grief. Ruhan was buried in the local Karbala graveyard.
Expressions of Close Relatives and Friends
In Ruhan's memory, [the text cuts off here, likely due to a transcription error. It seems to be a continuation of a quote about Ruhan's helpful nature.]
He further said, “Rohan studied at the Nurani Madrasa adjacent to the Gopibagh Jame Mosque in Dhaka from 2017 to 2020. Later, after returning home, he enrolled in and completed a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Training course under Jagoroni Chakra Foundation. He learned the work practically at an AC shop in the Laldighia Par area and took the initiative to open his own AC repair shop. He had a desire to become a businessman in the future.
Martyr's Memory and Our Duties
A short life, many dreams. Those dreams were sacrificed for the country, for his own nation. The spark that Shaheed Ruhan ignited in the anti-discrimination and anti-autocracy movement must be kept alive by us. The history of this revolution cannot be written in any way without the sacrifice of struggling heroes like Shaheed Ruhan. It is our responsibility to stand by the family of Shaheed Ruhan and other martyrs like him.
Personal Information of the Shaheed at a Glance
Full Name: Md. Ruhan Islam
Date of Birth: 29/12/2006
Professional Identity: Trainee, Jagoroni Chakra Foundation’s RAISE Program
Permanent Address: Village: Brahmanpara Road, Union: Municipality, Thana: Sadar, District: Jessore
Latest Address: Same as above
Father's Name: Md. Mokhsedur Rahman
Father's Profession and Age: Grocer, 48 years old
Monthly Income: Approximately 10,000/-
Mother's Name: Rina Khatun
Mother's Profession and Age: Housewife, 33 years old
Number of Family Members: 06 (Six)
Elder Brother's Name: Ratul Miji
Elder Brother's Profession: Student, 2nd Year Degree, Upshohor Degree College, Jessore
Place of Incident: Zabeer Hotel, Chitra Mor, Jessore
Cause of Death: Died in a fire while rescuing victims at Zabeer Hotel
Time of Injury and Death: August 5, 2024, between 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Current Location of Martyr's Grave: Karbala Graveyard, Jessore
Grave's Google Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/17EXaA94nEr5yNFb9
Suggestions
• Arrange one-time allowance for the martyr's family.
• Assist the father with capital for his grocery store.
• Assist with the father's medical treatment.