Nineteen-year-old Al-Amin says the hardest part of losing his leg is not the pain. It is the helplessness.
“I can’t walk. I can’t stand for long. I depend on others for almost everything,” he said.
“It is very difficult to live like this as a young man.”
Two years after the July-August uprising reshaped Bangladesh’s political landscape, Al-Amin is still waiting for the chance to rebuild the life that changed forever when a police bullet shattered his left leg.
Like many seriously injured July fighters, he says survival was only the beginning. Rehabilitation, treatment and returning to a normal life remain unfinished battles.
Al-Amin lost his left leg above the knee after being shot during the August 5 demonstrations near Brac University.
An artificial limb fitted about 18 months ago briefly allowed him to walk again. But because he was still growing, the prosthetic no longer fits.
Today, it causes such severe pain that he can barely use it.
“I could walk for about 20 minutes at first,” he recalled.
“Now the pain is unbearable whenever I wear it. I need a new artificial leg. My only hope is that the government helps us stand on our feet again.”
Before the uprising, Al-Amin was a Class X student at Dhobakhola Coronation High School in Pabna, although he lived with his family in Merul Badda, Dhaka.
Financial hardship following his injury forced him to abandon his studies.
He said he first joined demonstrations after witnessing the deadly violence around Rampura.
“The bodies of my brothers were lying on and around Rampura Bridge. I saw everything with my own eyes. After that, I could not stay at home.”
He was first injured during clashes on July 19 but returned to the streets. On August 5, another bullet pierced his left leg during demonstrations in front of Brac University.
Al-Amin alleges that instead of receiving immediate treatment, he was taken to a vaccination centre, where proper medical care was unavailable.
He further claimed police later assaulted him while he lay wounded.
“I pretended to be unconscious,” he said.
“They thought I was dead and left.”
Protesters eventually rescued him and took him to several hospitals. But he believes delays in surgery proved irreversible.
On August 10, doctors amputated his left leg about four inches above the knee.
“I have only one regret,” he said.
“If the operation had been done in time, perhaps my leg could have been saved.”
After spending nearly three months in hospital, Al-Amin returned home carrying both physical and financial burdens.
He said he received Tk100,000 in government assistance but believes the long-term support has fallen far short of what many severely injured protesters require.
He also questioned why he was classified as a “Category B” injured person despite losing an entire leg.
His childhood dream was to become a police officer.
The events of July changed that forever.
“After what I experienced, that dream disappeared.”
Now he hopes to start a small business one day.
“But I have no capital,” he said.
“I cannot even work.”
Despite everything, Al-Amin says he has never regretted joining the movement.
“I marched for my country,” he said.
“I lost a leg, but I have no regrets. I am proud that I stood for change.”
His wish today is no longer political.
It is deeply personal.
“I just want to stand on my own feet again.”