Protest on Bloodstained Streets

July 15, 2024, Monday-

11 pm, lying in bed checking Facebook for today's update. Then a video comes up. In the video, students of Dhaka University marched. Everyone is marching together on the streets. They are chanting.

"Who are you? Who am I? Rajakara... Rajakara..."

"Who are we? Razakar... Razakar...."

"Quota or merit? Merit.... Merit..."

They are giving many more such slogans. 

July 16, 2024, Tuesday-

At 11 am, I and my sister were having breakfast. Sis is watching mobile and I am watching TV. I peeked at her mobile phone. I saw some girls breaking the gate. I ran to charge and opened the phone and entered Facebook. When I entered Facebook, I saw that some of my friends shared a video. 

The caption of the video is ❝Tigresses of Eden❞. In the video, the girls of Eden went to rescue the students who were locked up in Dhaka University. The girls opened the lock by hitting them with bricks. They opened the lock and went inside. 

Seeing their bravery, I feel proud. Yesterday the students of Dhaka University went to save the girls of Eden, and today they're. It is certainly commendable to rescue the students with such courage despite yesterday's atrocities. How many people have such courage? How many people have such bravery?

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12 pm, I was scrolling through Facebook. After yesterday's gruesome attack, students today staged a protest with sticks and pepper spray. For their own safety. Many pictures and videos came forward. Some of them is posting movement updates from wherever they can. While scrolling, a video came in front, A baby boy in the video, maybe 7/8 years old. That boy is giving bottled water to the agitators early in the morning from the window of the 2nd floor of his house. The agitating boys standing below shouted thanks to the boy. 

Watching the video reminded me of Budha. I was reading a novel by Kakataru when I was in class 10. That novel was written during the liberation war. And the main character of the novel was this Budha. It was described how Budha an orphan who lost his family helped the people of the village, how he fed the Pak-invader forces, how he disciplined the zamindar and his disciples and how he helped the freedom fighters. As that Budha helped the freedom fighters and this little boy is also helping the agitators. 

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3 pm, sitting in front of the TV and eating. I was watching Jamuna Television news on TV. Then the TV screen flashed a scene like a wound. A boy, maybe 24 or 25, stands in front of the police with a malnourished body. The boy threw his hands in the air. He took a stick in one hand and let the police in front of him get his chest. Bricks are being thrown at him by the police. He is also throwing bricks away with the stick in his hand. Then the sound of gunshots was heard. One shot, but the boy did not move. Seeing the police shooting, Everyone around started screaming. The boy stood in front of the police again with courage. Shot again. Now he became weak. But stood up again. Seeing his courage, the police fired again. Now he could not stand up. After becoming weak. Seeing him so weak, the students behind started coming towards him. The boy also started to move. However, even seeing his poor condition, the police may not have been mercy. They started throwing at him. The boy went downstairs to join his companions. His companions began to take him away.

I immediately closed my eyes after seeing this scene. I didn't hear anything the presenter said so far. Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's ❝Bidrohi❞ poem started playing in my ears.

" Say, Valiant,

Say: High is my head!

Looking at my head

Is cast down the great Himalayan peak! "

This is like a real movie of Bidrohi poetry. The scene gave me goosebumps. My ears, nose, mouth are all blocked. Only the eyes were open. The eyes with which I have seen this brutal event for so long. 

How can a person shoot another person like this? He is not delusional? His hand did not shake before shooting? He did not hesitate? Didn't he get a though from his heart at least? His heart did not tremble? Did not bind his conscience? Does he not have a brother? He does not have his own children in the house? If someone shoots his brother or child like this? Will he tolerate it? Will he tolerate if someone releases the shot video on social media? What will he bear if that video is played in front of him and he is told, " Look... Look, how your child has been shot... Look. "

Can he watch that video? Can he survive? Then why did he make this punishment for another father? What if the boy died after being shot? So what will his family do? Will he be able to put out the fire in the hearts of his relatives?