Who killed Nahid?
My son left home earlier that day in a dark blue T-shirt inscribed with 'D-link'. He was accidentally caught up in the clashes."
During the fierce clashes between shopkeepers and Dhaka College students in New Market area on Tuesday, a young man in a dark blue T-shirt was seen lying motionless in front of Nur Jahan Super Market.
Another man, wearing a black helmet, came with a machete and started hacking him indiscriminately. The attacker stepped back after he was stopped by a third man, who was wearing a yellow helmet. The two helmeted men then walked back to the students' side.
A video footage of the incident has gone viral on social media. Several law enforcers have confirmed its authenticity.
Journalists of The Daily Star, who were present near the scene, also took photos of the gruesome attack.
It happened around 1:00pm on Tuesday.
This newspaper yesterday talked to at least 20 shopkeepers and Dhaka College students, who identified the youth in the dark blue T-shirt as 19-year-old Nahid Mia.
Painful as it may have been, his father Nadim Hossain also confirmed it was indeed his son.
Nahid, a delivery man of a computer accessories shop on Elephant Road, died on Tuesday night. His uncle Mohammad Sayeed filed a murder case against 150-200 unnamed people the next day.
"My son left home earlier that day in a dark blue T-shirt inscribed with 'D-link'. He was accidentally caught up in the clashes," Nadim told The Daily Star yesterday.
Nahid was attacked in front of Nur Jahan Super Market's Khan Fashion store, located just opposite Dhaka College.
Talking to several witnesses, these correspondents learnt that Dhaka College students took control of the area near Globe Shopping Centre and Nur Jahan Super Market at one point of the clashes.
As the witnesses were shown the viral footage, they said several youths wearing helmets were fighting on the students' side. They were carrying iron rods, machetes and sticks.
One of The Daily Star journalists, who was present there, said some shopkeepers were throwing brick chunks at the students from different floors of Nur Jahan Super Market.
Several youths from the students' side stormed inside and returned soon facing resistance. While coming out of the market, they found the youth in the dark blue T-shirt near the stairs.
They beat him indiscriminately and left.
"One of the youths wearing a black helmet then walked back to him and started hacking him discriminately," said the journalist.
Abdullah Al Mamun, owner of a shop at the market, said most youths on the students' side were wearing helmets. Many shopkeepers were in helmets too.
"As the injured youth was bleeding profusely from his head, two youths from the shopkeepers' side rescued him after the attack. He was later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital by the shopkeepers," he said.
Some Dhaka College students gave a similar description. One of them, who took part in the clashes, said the attackers were from the college.
He did not name anyone.
The Daily Star could not verify the authenticity of this claim.
Shopkeepers claimed those who ransacked three shops near Gate-2 of New Market on Monday night were also wearing helmets.
Asked about an allegation that Chhatra League led the mob that attacked Nahid, Fuad Hasan, joint convener of the Dhaka College BCL committee formed in 2016, said, "It's still not clear who was behind the murder.
"It's the job of the police to find them."
The law enforcers were yet to arrest anyone over the incident. The Detective Branch of police was tasked with the investigation yesterday.