Alif Hasan Rahat, an HSC examinee from Milestone College, was shot on July 18 near BNS Centre in Uttara during the quota reform movement. Around 16 pellets penetrated his body, marking the beginning of his prolonged suffering. Alif describes the ordeal he endured from July 18 until this past Monday.
The Shooting
On July 18, Alif and his friend joined the protest for the third consecutive day. The friends coordinated but eventually got separated while trying to escape from the police and Chhatra League. Around 11am, police personnel shot Alif with shotgun pellets.
After being shot, Alif called one of his friends. The friend, who requested anonymity, said: "I was in Sector 7 when Alif called and told me he had been shot."
The friend took Alif to a clinic for basic treatment. They then went to Bangladesh Medical in Uttara. The whole time, Alif was bleeding severely.
His friend said: "The medical staff told us they couldn’t remove the bullets. They suggested we go to Kurmitola Hospital."
At Kurmitola Hospital, doctors informed them that the pellets would need to be removed later, so they provided basic treatments and injections.
Alif returned home that day.
The Arrest
The pain increased for Alif each day. He stayed at home, fearful of the police. When the pain became unbearable and Alif's vision grew more blurry, his father decided to hire an ambulance to take him to the hospital on July 20.
Alif’s cousin, Zerin, said: "One driver told the family that police were not checking ambulances, so they thought it was safe to go to the hospital."
However, when the ambulance neared the Uttara East police station, police stopped it for inspection.
Alif recalled: "They took us out of the ambulance. The police officers verbally abused my father."
According to Alif, an enraged police officer said to his father: "Why didn’t you say anything when he went to the protests?"
Initially, five police officers were present, but within a short time, around 20 to 25 officers had gathered.
In that ambulance, there were two other patients along with their family members.
Locked up
Regarding his time in custody, Alif described: "They were bringing in more detainees and beating them in front of us."
He continued: "They were loading guns in front of us to intimidate us. One of the constables told me, 'We will kill you and bury you here. Nobody will come looking for you.' One bullet even misfired during the reloading."
"Around 10 pm, I asked them for some medicine, but they didn’t help."
Some police officers interacted with the detainees only to collect names and addresses.
Alif complained: "They took our families' contact numbers but didn’t call anyone."
Meanwhile, Alif’s family grew increasingly worried about the whereabouts of him and his father. His phone was switched off, and his father's phone went unanswered.
Alif’s father told the police that he was a serviceman. The police asked if he wanted to go out or stay in the lockup.
Alif’s father, Rohiz Uddin, told Dhaka Tribune: "I couldn’t contact anyone all day, so I decided to go out and seek help."
Alif’s father and the ambulance helper were released without further charges around 2am.
After being released, Alif’s father stood outside the police station for an hour, where he had left his son behind.
Once his father left, the police took Alif to a separate room for questioning.
Alif said, "When I entered the room, they started beating me without asking any questions. They mainly targeted my hands, legs, waist, and genital area. There were about 20-25 police officers present. After they finished beating me, they put me back into the lockup."
"Those with beards received the worst beatings. They were labeled as 'Shibir'," he added.
After Alif’s father left, the police took the signatures of all the detainees on the case and court papers. They also took our signatures on a blank page.
The Case
The police accused Alif of vandalism, arson, and obstructing law enforcement, along with 1,000 to 1,500 unidentified others.
The case was filed under nine different sections of the penal code.
In the court papers, the police requested remands and asked the chief magistrate to deny bail, claiming the accused would flee if granted.
Six people were brought to court in that case on July 21. Alif and Rashid were the youngest among them.
The CMM Court
The police informed Alif and the other detainees that they would be presented before the court after Fajr prayer. Alif told Dhaka Tribune: “Even as they were putting on handcuffs, they were beating us indiscriminately without any reason.”
“I had an X-ray report on my hand. One of the officers tore it up and slapped me on the cheek. Then they threw us into a prison van.”
“Two prison vans arrived, one for the East Police Station and the other for the West Police Station. I was put in the West Police Station van, where I encountered two students I knew. I asked them about their situation, and they said the police had beaten them all night, just like us.”
Upon reaching the CMM Court, the police asked for their addresses again. A police officer asked for my permanent address, and when he forgot the name of the post office, the officer then taunted him, saying: “Did someone else give your birth?”
In the CMM Court, all the detainees were assembled. The room, which had a capacity of about 50 people, was overcrowded with around 100-120 people.
Around 11am, a person came and asked for his signature on a blue paper. When he inquired about its purpose, Alif was not given any explanation.
Later, another person arrived with rice. When Alif asked who provided it, he once again did not get an answer.
Around 1pm, without showing them before the court, the authorities took the detainees back to the prison van and transported them to Keraniganj Jail.
The Jail
Upon arriving at Keraniganj Jail, Alif informed the documentation workers that he was an HSC examinee and had bullets in his eyes and chest.
The authorities then transferred him and two other detainees to the jail hospital and sent the rest to a different area.
At the hospital, Alif noticed that the person administering painkilling injections was using the same syringe for everyone. He refused to have the injections given to him.
He said: “The person administering the injections seemed inexperienced and was an inmate.”
Afterward, Alif was transferred to the fourth floor of the hospital. He recounted: “I broke down in tears when I lay down on the hospital bed. Other prisoners nearby came and sympathized with me.”
According to Alif, the doctor prescribed 3-4 types of eye drops, but the pharmacy only had one in stock.
Later, Alif was taken to a field for an inspection of the beating marks. Doctors noted all the marks there.
After the inspection, Alif was returned to the hospital and then to the Amdani (newcomer’s) room around 11 pm.
Alif described the Amdani room as very dirty and overcrowded with about 100 people.
The authorities provided food there. Alif said: “As I hadn’t eaten for two days, I went to get some food. I took a plate from the washroom and got rice, a very thin lentil soup, and took salt from another prisoner.”
However, Alif couldn’t finish his meal as the authorities called everyone to register fingerprints. Afterward, they returned to the Amdani room, where they were assigned cells.
Alif’s cell was Cell No. 3, on the 4th floor of the Shapla Building, which is a 20-minute walk from the central gate of Keraniganj Jail.
The cell already had three inmates when Alif and another person joined them. Alif said: “The room was very small for five people. Five people cannot lie down in the cell at the same time.”
Alif claimed that the jail authorities did not open the cell at all for the next five days. On the sixth day, Alif and his cellmates were allowed to go out to the balcony for five minutes to walk. Afterward, they were allowed to walk on the floor for ten minutes for one to three days.
On July 27, the jail superintendent visited Alif. Alif informed him about his eye condition and mentioned that he was an HSC examinee. The superintendent noted this down.
The next day, Alif and another cellmate were transferred to the jail hospital again. “Even while going to the hospital, five jail guards escorted us as if we were troublemakers,” Alif said.
According to Alif, the doctor at the jail hospital said: “The jail does not have the necessary treatment. Stay in the cell, and when the situation in the country improves, we will transfer you to an outside hospital.”
Alif was sent back to his cell.
Alif described the jail as a place rife with bribery. Even to buy food, prisoners had to bribe other inmates. Alif had to pay Tk500 to get his lawyer’s representative letter signed.
Alif said: “When I arrived at jail, I asked the prison guards to inform my father that I was here. One of them contacted my father, who then sent money, including a bribe.”
The Hospital
On the night of July 31, the authorities informed Alif and the others in need of treatment that they would be transferred to a hospital the following day.
On August 1, Alif’s hands and legs were cuffed for transfer to the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH). “Later, they removed the leg cuffs since I am a student. I then went to NIOH in a police van,” Alif said.
“When the doctor saw my condition, he immediately ordered my admission to the hospital. Three of us were there, and all of us were admitted that day.”
“Police from Shyamoli station were present, monitoring us,” Alif added.
According to Alif, the authorities cuffed their legs again around 10pm.
Bail
At 11 pm on August 2, a person arrived and removed Alif’s leg cuffs, saying: “You have been bailed out.”
A magistrate then contacted his family, and Alif was released. However, he did not leave the hospital as he was still receiving treatment.
“Until I was bailed, I was under the jail authority. If the doctor recommended an X-ray, they wouldn’t do it. If the hospital required payment, they would say the voucher would be processed on Saturday,” Alif said.
He added, “After the bail, I paid for all the necessary tests myself. Only then did they begin proper treatment. I purchased the required medicines, but my eye condition did not improve despite taking the prescribed medicine. I received five doses in total, while the norm is three.”
According to Alif, he was only given pain relief and gastric medicine until his bail.
Annoying Visitors
On August 10, Alif requested to be discharged from NIOH. He explained that his bed was frequently moved to a better location when high-profile political figures visited. Once the figures left, he would be moved back to his usual bed.
“When a high-profile political leader visited, many people gathered around. Some even live-streamed, showing little regard for us as patients,” Alif said.
Hospital Hassles
Alif reported: “Doctors told me to return on August 17. When I did, they said the prescribed medicine should continue.”
The frequent moving between hospital locations was very tiring for Alif, as he had been in poor condition for a month and struggled to walk properly.
On August 17, Alif waited for more than three hours after submitting his patient file, but he was not called. When he finally saw the doctor, he explained that the medicine was causing constant vomiting.
“Despite this, the doctor insisted on continuing the same dose. He told me to return the next day and referred me to another doctor for laser surgery,” Alif said.
On August 18, the situation repeated. Alif said: “I arrived at 9 am, but wasn’t called until 12 pm. The attendant kept telling me to wait for my turn.”
Alif then approached an Ansar member, who took him to the director of NIOH. The director signed the necessary paperwork, and the doctor scheduled Alif for laser surgery the next day.
On August 24, the first laser surgery was finally performed. The doctor told Alif that most people regain their vision after taking the prescribed medicine and advised him to trust in Allah.
Currently, Alif is admitted to the Combined Military Hospital. The pellets in his chest were removed on August 28. The pellets in his face and the one that pierced his right eye will be removed after further tests.
Alif told the Dhaka Tribune: “I had considered going abroad, but now I’ve decided to stay in my country. If necessary, I will return to the field. I’m ready to give my life for the cause.”
Rohiz Uddin, Alif’s father, said: “Our priority is the improvement of Alif’s vision. Please keep him in your prayers. As Alif is our only child, we have high hopes for him.”
