Wait in tears prolongs
Kohinoor Begum didn't speak a word for the last four days. She has also refused to take any food since her husband went missing in Rupganj violence on Saturday.
No one could say for sure what happened to her husband Abdul Aleem Masud, a resident of Baraisoni village and owner of a tea-stall at Ichhapur Bazar.
Visiting Masud's residence yesterday, this correspondent found Kohinoor unconscious and her sister and brother trying to bring her back to consciousness repeatedly saying, “Your husband will come back.”
She was given several packs of intravenous saline.
Mrittika, Masud's nine-year-old daughter, was weeping in the yard. “Please give me my father back.”
Three out of four missing persons, about whom The Daily Star has reported, are still out of trace.
Zumman Ali, one of the four, was later tracked down. He is now under treatment at Combined Military Hospital in the capital.
Zumman was picked up by the army when a helicopter airlifted the troops on Saturday, family sources said.
More than 50 persons were injured, many with bullets, during the clashes sparked by a mass protest against “forced purchase of land” for an army housing scheme at Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj.
One of the bullet-injured died the following day.
Family members of the missing persons told The Daily Star they had found it difficult to file a general diary with police. Contacted, police denied the allegation.
“I want my son back,” Mazeda, mother of 32-year-old Masud, choking back tears told The Daily Star, “If he is not alive please give us his body.”
“I couldn't see his face last time he left house on Saturday. Who could imagine that he won't come back?”
Shohor Ali, Masud's father, said, “Nobody from the administration or any political party came to us to see how we are living since my son went missing.”
“I don't think my son is alive,” said the elderly father. “I saw Rab men take away my son in a vehicle holding his right hand and right leg like a dead cat.” He was in floods of tears while narrating the scene.
“He [Masud] didn't even join any procession that day [Saturday]. Then why did I have to lose my child?” Shohor Ali said.
Another missing person, eighteen-year-old Saiful Islam is a student of a local madrassa. He has a tiny fruit shop at Ichhapur Bazar.
Saiful's mother Sajeda said, “My son was a hafez [who memorises Quran]. He never had gone to any chaos.”
Shohor Ali and Saiful's father Lehaz Uddin filed two general diaries with Rupganj Police Station on Monday and yesterday.
The shops of Masud and Saiful were found closed. A nearby bridge, with dried up blood satins and two bullet holes, was testifying to a fierce fight.
Twenty-five year old Shamser Mollah of Kamshair village is also missing since the incident.
Shamser's uncle Akter Mollah told The Daily Star they had searched in vain all the hospitals in the capital and nearby police stations. “We wanted to file a general diary Saturday night. But police didn't take the diary that day saying they were very busy.”
Meanwhile, Rupganj is getting back to normality, though slowly. A larger number of people were on streets yesterday. And most of the shops were open.
Locals said male villagers have started returning home, as till filing this report no arrest was made in connection with the cases lodged with the Rupganj Police Station. Many were still on the run.
On the missing persons, Muhammed Saidur Rahman Khan, Narayanganj additional superintendent of police, told reporters two general diaries had been filed with Narayanganj Police Station and they had sent a wireless message about the issue to all the police stations of the country.
On the cases, he said, “We are looking into the matter and will take next course of action following the probe.”
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