Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon sacrificed his life in 1990 in the struggle for restoring democracy from the grasp of a military regime.
But 24 years later, not only has he become just another character from history lost in oblivion, but justice for his killing has also remained undelivered and democracy in the country now is nowhere near what he may have expected.
Just like every year, this year too, only a couple of hundred people seemed to have remembered the brave man, whose death on November 27, 1990, gave the pro-democracy movement a huge boost and military ruler HM Ershad was eventually dethroned only eight days later.
Floral wreaths, a few drops of unnoticed tears and regulation reminisces are all that Milon now gets every year for his stellar sacrifice in restoring democracy in the country.
Ershad and his dictatorial administration was largely blamed for killing Milon to foil the anti-establishment movement. But 24 years after the killing that shook the nation, not only is justice not ensured, even the real culprits have remained untraced.
Every year when Milon Day comes, political parties issue press releases and vow to safeguard democracy. In discussions, leaders ask their supporters to follow Milon. These are pretty much all that the memories of Milon get; throughout the rest of the year, nobody cares about him.
Milon’s old and ailing mother Selina Akhter said instead of punishing the killers, the political parties have only cashed Milon’s sacrifice.
“But who will do it [punish the killers]? Everyone is doing politics with the masterminds of Milon killing,” she told the Dhaka Tribune in anger.
Selina, who has been silently shedding tears standing at the Milon intersection near TSC on the Dhaka University campus yesterday, still hopes that the killers of his son will be brought to justice one day.
In course of time, the Awami League and the BNP, who jointly waged a movement to topple Ershad from state power, have been using him as a bargaining tool. The former military ruler has not only enjoyed state power from 2009-2013 as part of the 9th parliament, he is now a special envoy to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Milon’s mother said: “My pain knows no bounds when I see the killers of my son enjoying state power. The two major political parties have always been desperately trying to get the autocrat on their sides.”
The Dhaka Tribune also talked to Mushtuq Husain, the plaintiff of the Milon Murder case.
“On that day, I was at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital because I had become a father only five days before that. He [Milon] came to see my wife and kid in the hospital. He also came to the hospital to look after the people who got injured by police bullets on the streets during the movement.”
Then he left for the then PG Hospital, now the BSMMU, to attend a meeting. He was accompanied by Dr Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, a former Awami League lawmaker and then a leader of the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA).
When the rickshaw reached the TSC area, a bullet from a rilfe hit Milon. Crying in pain, Milon told Jalal: “Brother, something has hit my back.”
Milon was immediately taken to the DMCH emergency and there he passed away.
“I then filed a case with the Ramna police station within 24 hours,” Mushtuq said. “As it was a usual criminal case, enough evidence could not be produced before the court and the case was dismissed,” he said.
An application was submitted for reinvestigation but it never got any forward, he said.
On November 27, 1990, many, including the then BMA leader Dr Milon, was shot dead on the Dhaka University campus by criminals backed by dictator Ershad.