Our daughters still await his return

Even two days ago, Farzana Popy had been living a life full of love and happiness with her husband and two daughters.

But everything changed on Thursday. Her husband, journalist Hassan Mehedi, was killed on duty during a clash in the capital's Jatrabari.

With Mehedi's death, everything just shattered for Farzana and her little girls within a moment. Their two daughters -- three-year-old Nisha and six-month-old Meher -- aren't even old enough to understand the gravity of the situation.

"It's been only five years since we got married, going against our families. We were dreaming of a beautiful life surrounding our two girls; we were all so happy. But now everything is gone…," said Farzana with a broken voice, as she was waiting in front of the DMCH morgue yesterday, alongside her elder daughter Nisha, to take the body home.  

"Nisha is still waiting for her father to return from work and play with her, as he used to do every night," said Farzana, a homemaker.

Meanwhile, Nisha was roaming around her mother and was constantly asking about her father's whereabouts. 

 "I have left my younger daughter at home, she must be really hungry by now," said Farzana, adding, "We will take Mehedi's body to his village home in Patuakhali's Baufal." 

 "Now I have no idea how I'll run the family," said Farzana.

Before working as a staff reporter at online news portal Dhaka Times, Mehedi worked at Kaler Kantha and Dainik Bangladesher Alo, she said.

Emam Hossain Emon, staff reporter of Dainik Bangladesher Alo who was present during the incident, said Mehedi was shot with shotgun pellets by an Armed Police Carrier (APC) near the ramp of Mayor Hanif Flyover while he was taking video footage.

Mehedi was declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.