Senior citizen runs for cause

Law student Rupa Khatun's murder after rape on a moving bus caused an uproar in the social media after her body was recovered from near Tangail-Mymensingh road in Tangail's Madhupur upazila in August.

A 65-year-old, father of two grown up sons, was so much shaken by the gruesome crime that he could not sleep for days.

Motivated by his wife, the man, Mirza Shajahan, decided to do something for Rupa, who could have been a daughter he never had.  

With a sign stating “hang Rupa's rapists”, attached to the back of his shirt, Shajahan, from Akdhela village in Basail upazila, now gets out of his house in Tangail town every Wednesday and runs 10 kilometers on the town streets.

He said he started the run on September 6 and would continue it until all the perpetrators of the crime are hanged.  

Police found Rupa's body near Madhupur in Tangail on August 25. Police buried the body as an anonymous person and her parents identified her from photograph three days later.

Shamsunnahar, Shajahan's wife, said, “After seeing the news on Facebook about the barbaric gang rape and killing of Rupa on a running bus, my husband started losing sleep at night.”

“My husband has fatherly adoration for girls as we don't have any daughter. He was crying and feeling unbearable pain, picturing Rupa as our own daughter,” she said, adding, “At one point, I told him that to relieve his pain, he should do something to protest the brutality committed against the girl.”

“I used to run six kilometres everyday for health reasons. But, after the gruesome rape and murder of Rupa, I put on an extra four kilometres as an expression to protest violence against women,” Shajahan humbly said.   

Dismissing concern for his health due to age, the determined father said, “If my physical condition doesn't allow running 10 kilometres, I'll ride a bicycle for the same distance. If I'm unable to do that, I'll move on a wheelchair.”

Advocate Ataur Rahman Azad, general secretary of Tangail district unit of Bangladesh Manobadhikar Bastobayan Sangstha, said, "Mirza Shajahan's protest is unique and his message against repression and violation against women is swiftly gaining overwhelming support among people.”

Yesterday, five transport workers were indicted for killing Rupa from Tarash upazila in Sirajganj.