Mohammad Osman, 35, a teacher at Darut Tarbiyat Madrasa in Chittagong's Sholoshohor area, was on his way to the mosque for Maghrib prayer on July 18 when he found himself caught in a clash between police and quota reform protesters.
Several pellets struck his back, leaving him wounded and hospitalized at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Osman has been receiving treatment in the hospital's casualty department since that day. His wounds have yet to heal, and he remains in agony.
At CMCH, nine individuals with similar gunshot wounds are undergoing treatment in various wards. Some were shot in the stomach, back or legs, with the number of gunshot wounds in some reaching as many as six. Doctors fear some might be permanently disabled.
Hospital sources said over 200 people injured in violence centred on the quota reform movement in Chittagong had received treatment at CMCH.
More than 40 were shot, with at least 20 suffering eye injuries. These patients were later transferred to the ophthalmology department as their wounds began to heal.
"I was on my way to the mosque for Maghrib prayer when the protesters, chased by police, ran. I was in an alley and did not run because I was not involved in the protests. The police shot me from just a few yards away, hitting my back," Osman recounted.
"If I had committed a crime, the police could have arrested me. If I had been involved in the protests, I could have been punished. I do not understand why the police shot me for no reason."
Among the wounded in the casualty department are Arman Hossain, 17, Mohammad Akash, 18, and Mohammad Rubel, 22.
In the orthopaedic surgery department, Yash Sharif Khan, 17, Mohammad Abul Bashar, 28, Mohammad Sujan, 14, and Nazmul Hossain, 24, are receiving treatment.
Amirul Islam Arif, 22, a student, is being treated in the ophthalmology department.
Akash said: "I was learning to work in a garage in Muradpur. On July 16, I was heading to the garage after lunch when I was shot twice in the right side of my stomach. I was admitted to the hospital that day and have had two surgeries since. The doctors are unable to say when I will recover."
Fourteen-year-old Sujan was shot in the left leg in Bahaddarhat on July 18, breaking his bone.
His mother, Nurunnahar Begum, sits by his side in the hospital.
She said Sujan was the youngest of her four children. “We are not well-off, so we could not afford his education. He was working in a factory. On the day of the incident, he was coming home for lunch when he was shot. The X-ray showed a broken bone. I do not know how I will bear the treatment costs; I have already spent a lot of borrowed money."
Abul Bashar, a hawker, was selling mangoes in Bahaddarhat on July 18 when he was shot in the leg, chest and head.
His wife, Hafsa Begum, said he was preparing to return home when the clash started, and he was shot five times.
“My husband does not belong to any political party. He sells seasonal fruits from his rickshaw-van. His earnings barely keep us going. Now he has been in the hospital for 10 days, and we are struggling to cover the treatment costs."
A shot in the left leg broke Yash Sharif’s bone. He had recently cleared his SSC exams and enrolled at Islamia College on July 16.
His father, Ejaz Khan, said Yash had gone to see the protests without telling him. “His mother passed away a month ago, and now this… I am sick myself, having had a heart stent placed. I am overwhelmed with problems. Doctors said his leg bone is broken, and I do not know what to do."
Yash said he had just gone to see the protests and had not participated.
He said he did not realize when he got shot and only noticed when he started bleeding from his gunshot wound.
“Will I ever be okay? Will I be able to walk to college again?" Yash asked, in tears.
Pellets hit Cox's Bazar Government College student Amirul Islam Arif’s eye during a clash in the beach city. Doctors said his retina was damaged.
Arif, undergoing treatment in the ophthalmology department, said he could not see anything with his right eye. He added that he had already had one surgery and more were needed, but doctors could not say if his vision would return.
Six dead, authorities say
Dr Soumen, assistant registrar of the orthopaedic surgery department, said over 30 people injured in the clashes had been treated in his department.
Most had been discharged, but a few severely injured patients were still receiving treatment, with most being gunshot victims, he added.
Brig Gen Mohammed Taslim Uddin, director of the hospital, said more than 200 people injured in the quota reform clashes had been treated there.
“Five have died, four of whom were shot. Another critically injured patient was sent to Dhaka Medical College, where he also died. In total, we know of six deaths so far."
Dr Rezaul Karim, managing director of Parkview Hospital in Chittagong, said one person, Ariful Islam, was still receiving treatment there after being shot during the protests. “His condition is improving. No deaths have occurred in our hospital."
On July 16, Chittagong saw clashes involving students, police, Chhatra League and Jubo League revolving around the quota reform movement.
The violence spread from Muradpur to Bahaddarhat and GEC Mor.
The following day, the area turned into a battlefield, with bricks chips thrown and several explosions.
Some armed individuals were seen firing shots. Police, Chhatra League and Jubo League clashed with students again on July 18 and 19.
The clashes resulted in six deaths and over 200 injuries, including students.
