Shaheed Abdul Kaiyum

A deep mourning prevails in the family of Abdul Kayum (25), a student martyr who was killed by gunfire during the anti-discrimination student-people movement. Even after a month has passed, his parents and siblings are spending their days in unbearable agony. Having lost the family's only earning member, the family is left in despair. They are demanding the maximum punishment for the killers.
Abdul Kayum was a vibrant 25-year-old youth. He was born on October 2, 1999. He studied at Comilla University. After completing his Honors in Accounting in 2023, he was preparing for his Master's. Since his father and elder brother had no source of income, Kayum had been supporting the family for several years. Alongside tutoring, he also ran a small business. He worked day and night to bring smiles to his family's faces. A highly religious person, Abdul Kayum was known to the locals as a friendly and approachable young man, just like his family members. On August 5, a killer's bullet snatched Abdul Kayum's life at the Savar Bazar bus stand. It turned everything upside down. Along with it, all the family's dreams were shattered.
Kafil Uddin, a resident of the Tagormura area of Savar Municipality, lives with his wife and two sons, Kausar Ahmed and Abdul Kayum. Their daughter was married off earlier. With no source of income for the father and the elder brother, Abdul Kayum took the helm of the family. He used to tutor and even had his own coaching center named 'Paragon'. Their family was doing well. He had no affiliation with any political party. Abdul Kayum, who lived a peaceful life, had a warm relationship with the locals. After finishing his Honors, he did an internship and was staying at his home in Savar.
On the afternoon of August 5, when he went to join a victory procession after praying Zuhr, he faced resistance from his mother, sister-in-law, and other family members. Reminding him of the ongoing movement and the fear of gunfire outside, they repeatedly forbade him from going out. By then, Abdul Kayum was already dressed in a shirt and pants, ready to go out for prayers. After kissing his mother's forehead and promising to return home after prayers, he stepped out. Shortly after, as he reached in front of Savar New Market on the Dhaka-Aricha highway near Dogormora, he was shot in the left side of his abdomen and collapsed on the ground. Locals quickly rushed him to Enam Medical College and Hospital in Savar, where he was admitted to the ICU in critical condition. Upon hearing the news, family members rushed to the hospital. But since he was unconscious, he couldn't speak his final words to anyone. The next day, on the morning of August 6, the hospital authorities declared him dead.
Abdul Kayum's neighbor, Arifur Rahman, said, "Abdul Kayum had been living with his family in the Dogormora area for some time. He used to pray all five daily prayers with the congregation. He was the Amir of the Tabligh Jamaat. He also tutored. He had excellent relations with everyone in the area. No one can say he ever treated anyone badly. You don't often see such a boy in this era."
Almost driven mad by the loss of her son, Abdul Kayum's mother, Kulsum Begum, said, "It is hard to find such a responsible son in this era. He took care of everyone, including his father and mother. He knew what everyone needed and what had to be done."
She said in a tearful voice, "That day (August 5), despite being repeatedly warned not to go outside, he was insisting on joining the victory procession after prayers. Later, he was only supposed to go for prayers and return home. He kissed my forehead and went out. But he never returned home; he was hit by a killer's bullet in front of New Market. He was taken to the hospital in a bloody state. A day later, he returned home as a corpse. How can I bear this wound?" She kept losing consciousness as she spoke.
Kulsum Begum said, "If we can ensure the maximum punishment for the killers whose bullets snatched my son, we will find some peace. It will lighten the burden of our grief, at least a little."
Abdul Kayum's elder brother, Kausar Ahmed, said, "My father is unemployed. I haven't been able to find work for quite some time. In such a situation for our family, my beloved younger brother Kayum was the one holding the fort. He took care of everyone in the family. It's been a month today since Kayum is no longer with us. We feel his absence every moment."
Noting that Kayum's absence can never be filled, Kausar Ahmed added, "A murder case has already been filed regarding this incident. We want the real culprits to receive the maximum punishment."
Abdul Kayum's sister-in-law, Liju Akter, said, "Finding a brother-in-law like Kayum is a matter of luck. Very few pious young men like him are seen these days. He took care of everyone, including his parents."
Overcome with grief for his son, Abdul Kayum's father, Kafil Uddin, said in a tearful voice, "The heaviest thing in the world is a father carrying his son's corpse on his shoulders. I am that unfortunate father who buried his own son. That day, a single bullet turned my whole world upside down. It destroyed my entire family. My father-son relationship was very sweet. We shared everything with each other. Abdul Kayum was extremely pious and had a very good heart. He was the favorite of everyone in the family. He had good relations with everyone. He always thought good thoughts. If someone was in trouble, he would rush to help. He would try his best to be of service. It's been a month since the boy is gone. His death has taken away all our happiness. We demand the maximum punishment for the perpetrators."
However, having lost the biggest support of the household, the parents are spending their days on a government allowance, limited assistance, and countless memories of their son.
Kayum's mother, Kulsum, said, "It doesn't work like this, son. I run my household with great difficulty. I ran the household with hardship even when my father (Kayum) was alive, and I'm doing the same now. Now, my household runs on the 20,000 taka allowance. My husband (Kayum's father) has ear problems and various other health issues; he can't work."
She said, "No one in my family earns. The money my elder son earns goes to his wife and children. We have never asked him for anything. If he happily gives us two or four hundred taka sometimes, we take it; we don't force him."
Kayum's father, Kafil Uddin, informed that they currently live in a rented apartment in Savar. He said, "The household is running somehow with the allowance the government gives. But this money isn't enough for everything. The rent alone is 8,000 taka."
In the anti-discrimination student-people movement, martyrs like Abdul Kayum are remembered time and again in the country's critical moments. There is no death for them. They are conquerors of death. They are martyrs. And martyrs never die. They are immortal.
At a Glance
Name: Abdul Kayum
Date of Birth: October 2, 1999
Profession: Student, Comilla University (CU)
Department: Accounting and Information Systems, Session: 2018-19
Father: Kafil Uddin, elderly, suffering from ear ailments, Age: 65
Mother: Kulsum Begum, Homemaker, Age: 55
Siblings: 2 Brothers, 1 Sister
Address: Tagormura, adjacent to CRP Hospital, Savar, Dhaka (Rented apartment)
Injury Summary:
Date of Gunshot: August 5, 2024
Location: Adjacent to Savar New Market
Bullet Size: 7 mm
Treatment: Savar Enam Medical College Hospital
Martyrdom: August 6, 2024, Savar Enam Medical College Hospital
Janaza (Funeral Prayer): Local mosque premises, Tagormura, Savar, Dhaka
Burial: Local graveyard, adjacent to CRP Hospital, Tagormura, Savar, Dhaka