Sohan Shah, 29, worked as a mechanical engineer in a garment factory and was the sole breadwinner for his family. From a young age, he was responsible for supporting his family, always dreaming of living happily together.
He wanted to build a new home and start fresh, but everything came to a halt when a bullet was fired and injured him during the student protest.
His dreams were shattered by that single bullet. After enduring 39 days of unbearable pain, he passed away.
His wife, Shampa Begum, now have only one question for everyone: "How will I live alone without Sohan?"
Shampa Begum shared that they were married on November 19, 2017.
For three years, they lived in Dhaka together, and for the remaining time, Sohan worked in Dhaka while she stayed in the village with the family.
She said: "We are a middle-class family. Due to the financial crisis, he lived alone in Dhaka. We could not stay together. For the past year, he had been building a new house at home. He told me, 'Shampa, you and I will live in this house.'"
Shampa said: "He used to say, 'So many of my brothers have died; how can I sit at home? I will also join the protest.' That's why on July 18, Shohan bought snacks like puffed rice, biscuits, and water worth around two to three thousand taka and distributed them to the protest participants. He went again on July 19. During that time, he was shot during the gunfire in Rampura. Later, two of his colleagues took him to a local hospital. From there, he was given initial treatment and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). But at the hospital, the police and Awami League workers were torturing the injured. Having no other option, they somehow managed to get him out. We received the news at around 7:30pm. One of his friends called and told us that Shohan had been shot. I heard that he was in an ambulance for almost 12 hours before they could admit him to the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital at around 4:30am the next morning."
The last conversation with her husband occurred at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka last Tuesday.
Describing the day of the operation, Shampa, said: "When they were taking him to the operation theater, he kept calling me to stay close to him. He held my hand. I performed ablution (Wudu) for Shohan, and I did it for myself as well. I was reciting prayers. Even though the operation was completed by around 5:30pm, they had to give him 16 to 17 bags of blood. Then, at around 7:30pm, they came and told me that my Shohan was no more. I fainted right there in the hospital. I’m still unwell. In this world, I have no one except Shohan."
Father accuses mistreatment
Shohan's father, Shah Sekendar, said: "I have two sons. Shohan was the eldest. The younger one is just in the eighth grade. Shohan was the only breadwinner for our family. My son is gone, just like that.”
In a helpless voice, the bereaved father said: “Even after giving more than 17 bags of blood, we couldn't save him. If we could have provided better treatment, maybe my son could have survived. That's why we were trying to contact doctors in Singapore and India. Singapore asked for around Tk39 lakh, and India Tk15 lakh. But we couldn't manage to get the passport done. We tried so hard. There was also a case filed against him after he got shot. Due to the student protests at the time, no one was willing to issue a passport when they heard he was shot. That's why we couldn't take him abroad for treatment."
He added: "We had no choice but to operate at CMH (Combined Military Hospital). But I don’t know if the doctors were able to remove the bullet. He died in the operation room due to excessive blood loss. I was at the hospital all day that day. The next day, they released the body, and we went to Shaheed Minar, and then to Rampura police
station. I filed a GD (General Diary) there. They killed my living son. I want justice. I will go again in a couple of days to file a case."
Sohan's mother, Sufia Begum, was also in mourning. She said: "My son understood me. He would know if I was hiding something. He would send money saying, Maa, do not just keep it tucked in your saree, buy what you need, I am here. I will not let you starve without income. Now, who will say these things to me? Everyone is here, but my son is not.'"
Accused in a case
Sohan was shot on July 19 near a CNG pump area in Rampura. He was with his colleagues Oliul Islam and Noor Hossen at that time. Oliul Islam said: "We saw many fellow students dying right before our eyes. We could not just sit at home."
According to court sources, a case was filed at Sreepur police station on July 24.
The case statement says 95 people were named, and 150 to 200 unnamed were accused. Sohan was listed as the 18th suspect in the complaint, which says that the accused had created panic by exploding cocktails at Altaf Hossain Women’s College field in Sreepur around 6am that day.
Regarding the case, Sohan’s father said: "I think the locals and the police conspired knowing that he was shot. I want justice for all crimes, from shooting my son, obstructing medical treatment, and filing false cases.”
Sohan Shah's home is in Sreepur upazila, Magura. He was shot on July 19 in Rampura, Dhaka, and died 39 days later, on Tuesday, at the CMH in Dhaka. After an autopsy at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, his body was buried in his village home in Sreepur on Wednesday.
After completing his higher secondary education at Sreepur Degree College nearly ten years ago, Sohan took up a job to support his family. Most recently, he worked as a mechanical engineer in a garment factory in Rampura, Dhaka. His father, Shah Sekander, had retired from his business over a decade ago.
His only younger brother is currently studying in the eighth grade.
