Before Khorshed Alam succumbed to his injuries at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery yesterday, his last words were a plea to the Almighty asking for relief from the unbearable pain.
The 30-year-old truck helper died around 1:15pm after an eight-day struggle for life at the burn institute of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Another arson victim named Yeadul Mollah, 25, died around 9:35am yesterday. He had been undergoing treatment for five days.
Khorshed was injured when pickets attacked his truck with firebombs in Chandra area in Chandpur on March 18. Truck driver Jahangir was killed on the spot while Khorshed, another helper Rubel Hossain and truck owner Khandakar Sharif Uddin were injured.
All of them were taken to the burn institute, where Sharif, 38, died on March 22. Rubel, 28, is undergoing treatment with 38% burn injuries, with his respiratory system damaged. Doctors said his condition is still critical.
Yeadul, on the other hand, was one of the nine victims of an attack on a sand-laden truck on Jessore-Magura Road in Magura on March 21. Three more victims of that attack – Rowshan Ali, Motin Miah and Shakil Miah – died earlier. The rest are undergoing treatment at the burn institute.
Dr Partha Shankar Pal, resident surgeon at the burn institute, told the Dhaka Tribune that since the 20-party alliance-enforced blockade began, a total of 181 arson victims have been admitted at the burn institute. Of them, 134 were released, 22 died while 26 are undergoing treatment.
Families face uncertain future
Hailing from Sharsha area in Jessore, Khorshed was the sole breadwinner in his family of three. His wife Ayesha Khatun lives in Sharsha with their only child Mehedi Hasan Tushar, a student of class VI at a local school.
“I do not know how we will go on now,” she told the Dhaka Tribune. “We do not have any savings. We will be on the streets now.”
Yeadul’s family is also facing dreadful future. His sister Taslima Begum said he supported his four sisters. “He has been taking care of all of us since our father died two years ago. We have nothing left any more.”