Zillur Sheikh

“Mom, I'm going to pray, I said, go, pray and come back home.
My son never returned.”
“Who shall I seek justice from?
The one who killed my beloved child,
one day or another, Allah will judge him.”
Sheikh Hasan and Shahnaz Begum of Gopalganj are the parents of Zillur Sheikh, their first child. On February 2, 2007, he was born in Gopalganj Sadar Upazila's Westpara village in Kathi Union. He had four siblings and was the oldest. His younger brother is in the third grade, while his middle brother is in the tenth grade. Only two years old is the younger sister. Zillur had demonstrated his aptitude in elementary school. His parents moved to Dhaka from the village after being impressed by their son's accomplishment. Zillur shared his dream in a thousand words during a school essay contest. "One day I will grow up to be a big officer," he told his parents after returning from school. Mr. Hasan, the father of Shaheed Zillur, is a businessman in Merul Badda, Dhaka. He and his younger brother operate a fish-mongering company. Zillur Sheikh resided in Aftab Nagar, Badda, with his family. He graduated from Fayzur Rahman Ideal School in Banasree in 2024 with a science GPA of 4.96, passing the SSC exam. By being accepted into the eleventh class of Imperial College in Aftab Nagar, he had made the first step toward a higher education.
Expressing feelings about the martyr
“Who shall I seek justice from? The one who killed my beloved child, one day or another, Allah will judge him.” The martyr's hundred-year-old grandmother said these words in a tearful voice while standing in front of her grandson's grave. Shaheed's neighbor Ahmed Saleh said - "Shaheed Zillur Sheikh was very good. He was humble and polite from a young age. He was also very talented in studies. He always spoke to the younger ones with affection and respected the elders. The boy would not be late to go to the mosque when it was time for prayers and would never support anyone in wrongdoing."
The martyr's mother said, "Who shall I talk to about justice? And if justice is done, will Hasina be able to give me back my child, the one who killed my child, Allah will one day judge them. My child is innocent. I admitted him to college on July 15th. On the day of the incident, Zillur said, Mom, I'm going to pray, I said, go, pray and come back home. My son never returned. Why did the police kill my innocent child?"
The martyr's father, Mr. Hasan Sheikh, said, "I saw my son in the house that afternoon before he went to pray. I received a call from his friend and went to the hospital to find my father lying on blood." Zillur's uncle Imdadul Molla said that his parents left the village and came to Dhaka to ensure a good education for their children. But the killer's bullet has shattered all their dreams and hopes.
Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!
"I went to ask for rights, I became a Razakar."
When the movement was at its peak
July-August 2024 was the month of movement across the country. Students and the public united and created an indomitable movement in every corner of the country. The heartbeat of the entire nation was agitated. The rise of which was with the demand for the cancellation of the quota system in government jobs. At one point, the then killer Hasina government tried to suppress the students through violence, people from all walks of life joined the movement. The students said that the quota must be abolished forever. The anti-discrimination student movement organization announced a sit-in program on the streets to demand the demands. In response to which, the autocratic Prime Minister Hasina commented, "Why do they have so much anger towards the freedom fighters? If the grandchildren of the freedom fighters do not get quota benefits, then will the grandchildren of the Razakars get it?"
After this negative statement of Hasina, the students and the public became angry. The students started chanting slogans on the streets, "Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar! I went to ask for rights and became a Razakar." Then various programs were announced across the country. To thwart the program, the caretaker law enforcement forces of the autocratic Hasina harassed the students and the public by tear shelling, rubber bullets, pellet guns, abductions, murders, torture, and filing cases. With Hasina's instigation, the killer RAB fired bullets from helicopters. The BGB of the fascist government carried out a massacre by shooting at the chests of the common people. Awami League's notorious terrorists pounced on the general students with indigenous weapons and rifles.
Joining the movement
Shaheed Zillur joined the movement in the Rampura area with his friends. His mother would be angry if he told her at home. For this reason, he regularly traveled to the streets to build a new Bangladesh without telling anyone. To join the field of martyrdom, on July 18, 2024, at around 12:45 pm, Zillur informed his mother - 'Mom, I'm going to pray, the martyr's mother said - 'Go, pray and come back home.' Before entering the mosque, Zillur performed wudu (ablution) well.
After finishing the four rak'at obligatory prayer, he took his mobile phone in his hand. He noticed that his friends had sent a message. They decided to go to the movement together.
Shaheed Zillur Sheikh shielded his friend with his own chest to save him
On the path to martyrdom
Time 1:45. Zillur Sheikh came out of the mosque and started walking towards Aftabnagar. Then he joined the movement. They started marching towards East West University. Suddenly, the police force nurtured by the fascist government launched a surprise attack centering on the procession. The killer police force threw rubber bullets, tear shells, pellet guns, and sound grenades indiscriminately to disperse the students and the public. Suddenly, several bullets hit Zillur's body. He shielded his friend with his own chest to save him. A bullet pierced his head and exited through. His friends quickly took him to Adabar Nagarik Hospital. On the way, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Shaheed Md. Zillur Sheikh was martyred. Still, his classmates reached the hospital with the martyr. The doctors on duty informed - "Your friend is no more. He has left the fascination of this world and gone to his Lord in the hereafter." The martyr's first funeral was completed in Badda, the capital. The next day, on July 19, at 8 am, the second funeral was held at Kathi, Saptapalli Eidgah Maidan premises in his village, after which Shaheed Zillur Sheikh was laid to rest forever in the Westpara graveyard.
With the death of the martyr, it seems that a chapter has come to an end. He was a promising young man, whose talent was reflected in his studies and all his work. His death is an irreparable loss not only for his family, but also for his school, playmates and the entire society. Although the martyr has left us forever, his ideals, humility, and struggle will live forever in our hearts.
Personal information of the martyr at a glance
Name : Shaheed Md. Zillur Sheikh
Profession : Student, Institution: Imperial College, Dhaka, Class: Eleventh
Date of birth and age : July 14, 2007, 17 years
Date of martyrdom : July 18, 2024, Thursday, approximately 2 pm
Place of martyrdom : In front of East West University
Buried : Buried in the family graveyard
Permanent address : Village: Kathi, Saptapalli, District: Gopalganj
Father : Md. Sheikh Hasan
Mother : Mst. Shahnaz Begum
Condition of house and property : The martyr's father has 10 percent land in the village
Description of siblings :
Md. Zobayer Sheikh
Class : 10th
Profession : Student
Age : 15
Relationship : Brother
Institution: Fayzur Rahman Ideal School and College
Md. Junaid Sheikh
Profession: Student
Institution: Fayzur Rahman Ideal School and College
Class: 3rd
Relationship: Brother
Age: 09
Mst. Hira Jahan Noor
Relationship: Sister
Age: 02