North South University student Saidur Rahman Payel had promised to buy a large cow for Eid-ul-Azha to celebrate the homecoming of his expatriate father and brother for the festivities.
But on Eid day the family’s house held only grief. It has been a month since Payel was brutally killed after taking a bus from Chattogram to Dhaka.
The bitter memory of Payel’s promise has kept the family from visiting the Korbani market this year. His mother is bedridden with grief.
“There is no joy for us this Eid,” said Payel’s father Golam Maula. “None of us went to the market. Our relatives bought a cow in our place.”
The family lives in Chattogram’s Halisahar CDA residential area. On the night of Jul 21, Payel and two of his friends, Akibur Rahman Ador and Mohiuddin boarded a Hanif Paribahan bus headed from Chattogram to Dhaka.
Gajaria police recovered the body of the missing Payel from beneath the Bhaterchor Bridge in Munshiganj two days later. Then the supervisor of the bus, Jony, was arrested from Dhaka’s Motijheel, while driver Jamal Hossain and his assistant Faisal Hossain were detained from Arambagh.
According to police, the detainees gave statements to the court to the effect that the bus had allowed Payel to get off and urinate in the Gajaria after the vehicle had been stuck in traffic for some time. When traffic cleared, the bus began to move. Payel rushed to catch up with it and was struck by the bus door and lost consciousness. He began bleeding from the nose and mouth. Instead of taking him to the hospital the driver and supervisor pitched his body into the canal underneath the Bhaterchor Bridge in an attempt to escape responsibility.
Payel’s family claims that the bus driver had disfigured Payel’s body in an attempt to hide his identity before throwing him in the canal.
Payel’s father Golam Maula and older brother Golam Mostofa live abroad. Payel had come to Chattogram to visit after hearing of the birth of a nephew.
On Wednesday, Eid day, his mother Kohinoor Begum kept breaking into tears.
“Before leaving he said he would be back on Aug 20,” she murmured as she choked up. “He said he would spend Eid with everyone. But my son will never return.”
“They killed my son so brutally. Nothing like this has ever happened in the world. My son did nothing wrong.”
“I couldn’t see my son’s face one last time,” she said. “They did not leave it in any condition to do so. For 21 years, little by little, I raised him. Nothing worse can happen to me. My life is already over.”
A month has passed since his son’s death, but Golam Maula has been unable to return to his work in Qatar.
Payel’s mother suffers from several illnesses, including diabetes. She is now bedridden with grief. A doctor was called in on Tuesday night and administered some tests.
“When Payel visited home for the last time he asked his mother how much could be spent on the cow this Eid. His mother said you can buy whichever you like. Payel wanted to buy a large cow. We were all going to be home this Eid.”
The family is angry that the charge sheet in the case has not been filed. They demand the case be handled by the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
“All three of the suspects have confessed the murder to the court. Why then has there been such a delay on the charge sheet?,” asked Payel’s father. “We think they are procrastinating.”
Payel’s uncle Golam Sorowardy Biplob filed the case against the three suspects at the Gajaria Police Station, said a bdnews24 report.
“The home minister has been informed of our request to process the case through the Speedy Trial Tribunal,” said Golam Maula. “He has given us assurances. We also spoke to Awami League Publicity Secretary Hasan Mahmud about a meeting with the prime minister. He said he would try to arrange it.”
“We will never get our son back,” he said. “We want the perpetrators to be punished in such a way that no other parents are ever bereaved in this way.”
Munshiganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Jayedul Alam said the charge sheet for the case would be filed soon.
“The suspects have made confessional statements to the court,” according to media reports. “We are taking some necessary preparations to ensure the suspects are punished accordingly.”
“We have received an autopsy and viscera report. All preparations for the charge sheet are complete. It will be filed soon.”