‘I could not believe my eyes’

On August 5, several newspapers featured the image of a wounded protester being carried by a rickshaw-puller in the Farmgate area of the capital.
The photo showed a protester with a Bangladeshi flag tied around his head, lying in the footwell of a rickshaw with his head hanging over one side and his feet dangling from the other.
The viral image helped Golam Rahman, a businessman from Mohakhali, identify the protester as his son, Golam Nafiz, 16.
Nafiz, who recently admitted to Noubahini College after completing his SSC, was a participant in the quota reform movement from the very start.
While he was alive when the photo was taken, he died on the way to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. The rickshaw-puller later handed his body over to the hospital’s morgue authorities.
“Nafiz was my youngest of two sons, but he was the most active in protesting. I admired his passion and never discouraged him from joining protests. He participated in demonstrations across Mohakhali, Rampura, Mirpur, Farmgate, and other locations,” said Rahman.
“On August 4, he was protesting in the Farmgate area. He even called his mother in the afternoon from a friend’s phone. She asked him to come home, and he said he would be coming soon. That was their last conversation,” he added.
When Nafiz did not return home, the family feared he had been arrested and searched nearby police stations in Tejgaon, Kolabagan, Hatirjheel, Khilgaon, the DB office on Minto Road, and the CID office in Malibagh. Despite their efforts, no one could confirm his arrest.
“Later, around midnight, someone sent some images of protesters who were injured or had died to my wife’s phone. One photo caught my eye, and I immediately recognised my son. I could hardly believe my eyes,” Rahman said.
The family rushed to the nearby government medical college hospitals at midnight and found Nafiz’s body in the morgue at Suhrawardy Hospital around 4:00am on August 5. His body was listed as “unidentified”.
“We found that he had been shot in the chest and had wounds from being beaten on his face,” said Rahman.
The following day, Nafiz was laid to rest in Uttarkhan area.
His mother is in such a condition that she can barely speak.
According to Rahman, Nafiz’s intermediate classes were scheduled to begin yesterday. He had dreamed of becoming a pilot and was actively involved in scouting, sports, BNCC, cultural activities, alongside his education.
“We hope to see justice once a new government is in place. We have collected all the evidence, including newspaper clippings, and have reached out to student leaders. They have promised to compile a list and take action against those responsible for the deaths of innocent students like my son,” he added.