Riaz, a son of a crippled father, whose treatment depends on his son’s income, is now groaning in excruciating pain at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after she suffered grievous burn injury last Thursday.
He was one of those ill-fated people who were travelling on the bus that came under arson attacks by blockaders near Shahbagh that day.
Riaz, 23, is a glitter button vendor; he is suffering from 15% burn injury; he comes from Sonaimuri of Noakhali; he is the second of three brothers. His two sisters were given in marriage.
Visiting the hospital yesterday afternoon this correspondent came across Riaz’s mother Ayesha Khatun sitting by the bedside of her son. She said she came alone all the way to the capital as her husband was lame.
Two of his sons including Riaz earn a living for the family. Riaz lives in Dhaka and Sabuj in village who is a farmer, says Ayesha.
Riaz used to send Tk2, 000 to Tk3, 000 a month with which they used to buy daily necessaries and medicines for his father, says Ayesha.
“The month has ended and a new month is running and now we are at a loss as my son is in the hospital; what would we do now? Why does the cruel fate always befall us?” her face suddenly became pale as she was speaking.
Like Riaz 36 others are now undergoing treatment at the burn unit while six of them at the Intensive Care Unit as their condition is deteriorating.
Of the six, the condition of bus driver Mahbub, who is suffering from 30% burn injury, is stated to be critical.
Visiting the hospital on Tuesday noon this correspondent spotted Mahbub’s mother Momota Begum at her son’s bedside. She was holding son’s hands tight. Mahbub was requesting his mother to offer a special prayer as he could no more cling on to life.
His mother choking back her tears consoled him: “You will be alright; nothing will happen to you, my son.”
Meanwhile, two more arson victims were admitted to the DMCH in the early hours of yesterday.
Al-Amin, 31, a bus driver, son of Abdul Awal, comes from Bondhan area of Gazipur came under attack of blockaders in front of Kolombia Garment Factory of Gazipur while he was parking the bus after completing his day’s work.
He said some youths approached us around 8:30pm on Tuesday and in no time they set fire to the bus with a petrol bomb before we could apprehend anything.
Before he came out of the bus it went up in flames. The fire burnt 20% of his body while his helper, Mohammad Solaiman, 22, son of Hazrat Ali, hailed from Baishara, received 10% burn injury.
They were first taken to Gazipur Tairunnesa Medical Hospital but as their condition deteriorated, they were shifted later to the DMCH burn unit.
