Md. Zahid Hossain

An energetic 18-year-old teenager. At this age, he should have been found on the playing field, in gatherings with friends, or engrossed in video games on a mobile screen. However, life is not joyous for everyone. The lives of people are devastated by the clutches of inequality and corruption. While the living standards of a select few have improved, that touch has not reached everyone's doorstep. Therefore, at the age of 18, Zahid had to take on the responsibility of supporting his family. Shaheed Md. Zahid Hasan was an employee at a flower shop.
As the sole wage earner of the family, he had to bear the burden of supporting the household. His life was intertwined with flowers. He had a deep companionship with colorful flowers. He introduced customers to flowers, handing them garlands and bouquets. But like these flowers, Zahid Hasan had to wither prematurely due to the power-hungry Awami government. Shaheed Md. Zahid Hasan (18) was born on June 9, 2006, in the capital city of Dhaka. His father, Jahangir Alam (46), was a bus ticket checker. However, he was forced into unemployment due to a lack of work. His mother, Mosammat Rahela Begum (40), is a housewife. His elder brother, Rahat (23), is studying honors at Titumir College. His younger sister, Meshta Jahan Noor, is a 3rd-grade student. On top of their impoverished household, they were burdened with a debt of 350,000 taka, like a crushing blow.
How He Became a Martyr
Initially, the movement was confined to meetings and rallies, but on July 14, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in a speech, indirectly referred to the quota movement protesters as "descendants of Razakars." In response, the protesting students sarcastically chanted slogans like:
"Who are you?
Who am I?
Razakar, Razakar;
Who said it?
Who said it?
Autocrat, autocrat."
"We asked for rights;
We became Razakars."
On July 16, when Abu Sayeed was killed by police gunfire at Begum Rokeya University, the movement spread like wildfire across the country. Despite suppressing the movement with Chhatra League and other Awami League organizations, BGB, and police until July 19, and shutting down the internet, the government effectively failed to quell it. As a result, the government imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed the army.
On Friday, July 19, amidst the 'complete shutdown' program called by the anti-discrimination student movement, there were repeated clashes in various areas, including Uttara, Mirpur, Rampura, Badda, Mohakhali, Basabo, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Jatrabari, and others. Zahid Hasan, a meritorious student and the sole breadwinner of his family, was martyred after being shot by police during the anti-discrimination student movement in Mohakhali. The death of this 18-year-old young man devastated his family and shook the nation's conscience. Zahid Hasan was a son of an ordinary middle-class family who had been living in Dhaka for about 15 years.
That day, around 5:00 PM, during the anti-discrimination student movement in Mohakhali, a clash broke out between the police and the protesters. Zahid was at the forefront of the movement, demanding justice. But during the movement, the police shot him in the head. He fell on the street, and the police and Chhatra League members kicked him repeatedly. When they were sure that Zahid was no longer alive, they threw him on the street. The protesters immediately took him to the nearby Ayesha Memorial Hospital. But the doctors there declared that he had died within just 5 minutes of being brought to the hospital. Later, his funeral and burial took place at the Tejgaon Industrial Area Central Jame Mosque graveyard.