Riazul Islam is only 15 years old, with his SSC exams approaching. His right eye is completely damaged and he can barely see with the left one.
On top of that, the pain from the bullet wounds he sustained in his head and various parts of his body during the July uprising makes it difficult for him to study properly.
“My life ended before it even had a chance to begin,” he told Dhaka Tribune while speaking with this correspondent in front of Cabin 244 at the Special Care Unit on the third floor of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital on Tuesday morning.
On the afternoon of July 18, during student protests at the Savar bus stand, Riazul was shot in the eye, head and body by police.
His classmates rushed him to a nearby hospital and later, due to the deterioration of his eye condition, he was transferred to the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital.
Despite undergoing surgery, his right eye could not be saved.
Riazul remains under treatment at the institute.
Riazul sobbed and said: “I am a tenth-grade student at Jabal-e-Noor Dakhil Madrasa in Savar. I am the youngest of two siblings. Shortly after I was born, my father left us and married someone else. Later, my mother had to go to Bahrain to earn a living, leaving my sister and me behind.
“I had hoped to finish my studies quickly, get a good job and bring my mother back home from abroad. But that dream is now shattered. Now, people are running around trying to save me.”
He continued: “The vision in my right eye is completely gone. My left eye is also losing sight. The doctors confirmed that the right eye is permanently damaged and cannot be restored. Treatment is ongoing for the left eye.”
According to data from the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital, between July of last year and this April, 75 children and adolescents aged between 2 and 17 years received treatment after suffering eye injuries from bullets during the protests.
Another one of them is 15-year-old Zilhaz from Bogra, who earns a living by helping at a fruit shop and now faces an uncertain future.
Zilhaz said: “On Thursday, July 18, while marching in front of the Bogra Sadar police station, I was hit in the eye by a police-fired bullet. Though treatment began immediately, my right eye could not be saved. Now I am completely blind in my left eye.”
He added: “After my father left, I had to stop studying. I became responsible for my mother and sister. Whatever I earned by working as an assistant at the fruit shop barely kept the household running. Though I am still employed, medical expenses are draining our limited income. Managing the household is becoming increasingly difficult.”
‘Special attention to injured minors’
Professor Dr Khair Ahmed Choudhury, director of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital, said: “We have been providing full medical support to everyone injured during the July movement. From the beginning of the protests, we have treated all the injured. Whether they come from Dhaka or other districts, be they minors or adults, we treat them based on the urgency of their condition.
“We are giving special attention to injured minors. For patients coming from remote areas, we have launched telemedicine services so that they do not have to travel unless absolutely necessary. We are doing our best to provide the highest level of care and in some cases, even arranging treatment abroad.”
What July Shaheed Smrity Foundation is doing to help them
Meanwhile, Md Zahid Hossain, media executive at the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation, told Dhaka Tribune: “While we have not initiated a specific program for injured children and adolescents from the July movement, we are providing financial assistance of Tk1 lakh to every injured individual. Those with more serious injuries are receiving a second round of support.”
He further said: “Families of martyrs are being granted Tk5 lakh each. So far, we have financially assisted 6,584 injured individuals and supported 750 martyr families. We have managed to cover nearly 90% of the cases with financial aid.
“In addition to financial support, we have also arranged employment for many. More than 100 members of martyr families have been given jobs. We are also working to waive education fees for students injured during the movement and have ensured official government recognition through a published gazette. Moreover, we will soon launch awareness campaigns in schools and colleges in this regard.”
