The story of murder of Shaheed Aminur Rahman, a shocking story of human rights violation in Bangladesh

It was on a hot summer afternoon in Satkhira, when residents at Kamalnagar in the town were busy in rest after taking their afternoon meals, taking respite from the unbearable heat that was beating down mercilessly at this particular time of the day when something terrible happened at the student hostel at Mukul Bari. At approximately 3 pm, men in uniform surrounded the hostel premises from all sides. Without the least warning they closed in from all sides and converged upon the house, attacking its inhabitants and opening live fire on them. A group of students residing at the hostel were in the process of having lunch after a hard day of classes when all hell was let loose. As bullets rained on the denizens of the house, Aminur Rahman (27), meritorious student and Bangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir Satkhira Town Secretary fell dead on the spot, a bullet tearing his heart as it punctured his lungs on its way. The security ‘operation’ as described by the men in uniform with a license to kill did not end there. They fired 65 rounds of bullets in the space of less than half an hour. Then they brought out seven injured students one by one onto the street. What happened next was barbaric, inhuman and downright shocking. To the shock of bystanding witnesses and onlookers, police shot at the student point blank again before finally making a rough show of arresting the now seriously injured students.

A shocking instance of extrajudicial murder:

At 3 pm on Monday, police teams consisting of SB and Satkhira thana police took part in an unwarranted raid on Mukul bari student hostel situated at Kamalnagar in Satkhira town of the district. Witnesses said that police converged around the place as they closed in firing live bullets. As per testimonies of multiple arrested leaders from the incident spot, an armed intelligence policeman suddenly entered the premises and shot Aminur on the chest. The bullet punctured his lungs and ripped through his heart. As a result, part of his lungs protruded from the gaping bullet wound. The policeman then shot at Aminur’s feet several times, due to which he fell onto the ground. At the same time police stormed the house, firing at other students as well. Most were shot at their feet and witnesses informed of pools of blood where the injured students lay on the floor. The other students injured at the site of the police operation were Mohammad Abu Taleb (30), son of Abu Bakr Gazi from Kollyanpur village of Ashashuni upazila, Mohammad Azizul Islam (30), son of Abdus Sattar of Khan Jahan Ali thana of Khulna, Sheikh Abdul Gafur (23), son of Abdul Haque of Mongolandokathi village of Tala upazila in Satkhira, Nur Mohammad (18), son of Sohrab Hossain of Jhaudanga village of Satkhira town, Abdus Sobur (18) son of Abdul Haque of Mongolandokathi village of Tala upazila in Satkhira, Mohammad Imran Hossain (26), son of Mahbub Gazi of Parshekhali village of Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira and Mohammad Akhtar Hossain (25), son of Shahajahan Ali of Jugipol village of Khan Jahan Ali thana of Khulna. They were later taken out into the open one by one, and shot at in front of shocked onlookers and witnesses. Some onlookers were reported to have lost consciousness at the sight of this police brutality. Seriously injured and in critical bloody condition, the students were roughly manhandled and shoved forcefully into the police vehicles. Later they were admitted to the Satkhira Town Hospital for life-saving treatment under police supervision.      

A look into the life of Aminur Rahman:

Aminur Rahman was the son of Mofizuddin Sarker of Rahmatpur village of Krishnanagar union, Kaliganj upazila, Satkhira. He was 11th among 12 brothers and sisters. He completed his SSC in 2003 from Rahmatpur Nobojuug Shi Shopan High School while he completed his HSC in 2005 from Shyamnagar Mohsn Degree College. He had completed his Honours and Masters from Bangla division in Satkhira Government College and was well known as a prospective and popular student leader.  

Namaaz-e-Janza for Shaeed Aminur Rahman

Media reports and reactions:

The media reports focused on labelling the event as a clash, making it in essence look moronic. Take the Daily star coverage of the event as an example. As the law enforcers conducted a raid at the house around 5:00pm, Shibir activists exploded crude bombs targeting lawmen, Enamul Hawlader, officer-in-charge of Satkhira Sadar Police Station, told The Daily Star.

"Later, the Shibir activists opened fire, prompting us to retaliate with bullets," the OC said.

Three policemen received minor injuries in the blast. Two firearms and a bullet were recovered from the house, he added.

On associating with the recent spate of police failures, one would easily make out the inconsistencies labeled above if we think with a clear mind.

The news has elicited a strong response from Shibir and the online community and the stance of Islamic organisations in Bangladesh has spoken volumes, especially on asking questions on the general violation of human rights in the country, a fact where shamefully many human rights defenders and organisations have failed to.  

May the Almighty accept Aminur Rahman as a Shaheed. 

We demand justice for this gross violation of human rights by this fascist government.