Parents and newly married wife of trucker Shahin failed to see him alive for the last time as they were just 10 minutes late to reach the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the arson victim died.
Duty doctor of DMCH burn unit was covering his face when his elderly father, ailing mother and wife had just stormed into the High Dependency Unit around 11:20pm.
“I want to see them now as I don’t have much time,” Shahin, 30, with 70% burn injury had been requesting his brother Shahadat throughout the day.
Shahdat phoned the family members to rush in.
The victim’s father, Mokbul, mother Shahanara, and wife, Setu, who had been stuck in Naogaon home because of blockade set out for Dhaka Wednesday afternoon. The unusual gridlock on highways following the blockade slowed them down.
“My son, please open your eyes. Look, we have come,” Mokbul, who is also a trucker, hugged his son’s body on bed and cried out loud.
Inspired by his father, Shahin chose the profession of a driver. But unfortunately he had seen an example of the worst level of cruelty by pro-blockade pickets on Saturday when the latter poured petrol on two people, including him, and set them on fire in Sirajganj.
Shahin with his co-driver Ataur and helper Majedul were on a Comilla-bound vegetable-laden truck which was attacked by pickets with crude bombs near the Baingati area of Sirajganj around 10pm on Saturday. The attack caused truck driver Ataur Rahman to lose control of his vehicle and skidded off the road.
Ataur was hurt, but managed to take shelter in a local residence; but both Shahin and Majedul were chased by the pickets and beaten up before the culprits poured petrol on their bodies and torched them.
Locals rushed them to a nearby hospital and later they were shifted to DMCH burn unit. Majedul died early Tuesday four days after fighting for life with 90% burn.