Martyr Motiur Rahman

Martyr Motiur Rahman was a resident of Komolakantapur village in Shibganj Upazila, Chapainawabganj. He lived with his family in government housing in Mirpur-2, Dhaka. He worked as an office assistant at the headquarters of the Bureau of Statistics in Agargaon, Dhaka. However, his job was not permanent. In 2019, he filed a case in the High Court demanding permanent employment. Later, in 2022, he was forcibly retired, leaving him jobless. To support his family, he was compelled to start driving a rickshaw. Motiur had three children who were pursuing their education.
Incident Details
Recalling the tragic shooting of Motiur Rahman on August 5, his eldest daughter, Nurunnahar, said:
"On the day of Sheikh Hasina’s downfall, people from all walks of life were celebrating on the streets of Dhaka. Watching the scenes on TV, my father also became very happy. He drove his rickshaw until noon and returned home after buying five kilograms of rice. After lunch, he was watching the news on TV. Seeing the fall of the government, he said, ‘Now good things will happen in the country. Maybe I will even get my job back. Let me go outside and witness the people’s joy.’ Saying this, he left home. Later that afternoon, he was shot in front of Mirpur Police Station and returned to us as a lifeless body. My father was not a participant in the protests; he had only stepped out to see the celebrations."
Around midnight on August 5, Nurunnahar and her family set out for Chapainawabganj with her father's body. When they arrived in Rajshahi at dawn on August 6, their uncles called to inform them that Motiur would not be allowed to be buried in the village graveyard because he had not contributed to its maintenance fund. Eventually, he was buried in his maternal grandfather’s family graveyard in East Para, Haripur neighborhood, within Chapainawabganj municipality.
Family Disputes
A few days later, Nurunnahar and her family faced a complex family dispute. When they went to their village home, their uncles claimed that they had no house or land there, as their father had supposedly sold everything to them. However, when they asked to see the legal documents, the uncles refused to show them.
Nurunnahar expressed her distress, saying, "I don't know how long we can stay in the government housing in Dhaka. We have nowhere else to go. My younger sister is in the 10th grade, and my brother is in the 9th grade. I have completed my nursing degree and am currently doing my internship in Dhaka. Our household ran on my tutoring, my mother’s Arabic lessons at people's homes, and my father’s earnings. Now that he is gone, I don't know what we will do."
Motiur Rahman’s elder brother, Erfan Ali, stated: "My brother did not contribute to the annual fund of our village graveyard committee. If we wanted to bury him there, we would have had to pay 10,000–12,000 taka, which we could not afford. That’s why we asked them not to bring the body there." Regarding the house and land, he added, "He had only one house and some land, which he sold to us. If my sister-in-law and nephews and nieces want to verify our claim, we will show them the legal documents."
Proposals
1. Arranging financial support for the education and future expenses of Motiur Rahman’s children.
2. Providing a regular monthly allowance for the martyr’s family.
3. Ensuring permanent housing for the martyr’s family.
Brief Information About the Martyr
Name: Motiur Rahman
Occupation: Rickshaw Driver
Permanent Address:
o Village: Komolakantapur
o Police Station: Shibganj
o District: Chapainawabganj
Current Address:
o Residence/Neighborhood: Government Housing
o Area: Mirpur-2, Dhaka
Family Information:
o Daughters: 2
o Son: 1
Place of Incident: In front of Mirpur Police Station, Mirpur, Dhaka
Attacker: Police
Time of Injury: August 5, 2024, approximately 2:30 PM
Nature of Injury: Gunshot wound
Date, Time, and Place of Death: August 5, 2024, 2:30 PM, in front of Mirpur Police Station, Mirpur, Dhaka
Current Burial Location of the Martyr: East Para Graveyard, Haripur neighborhood, Chapainawabganj Municipality