‘My son is not dead’: Mother still in denial

The body of Ramiz Uddin Roop, 24, was lying on a stretcher at Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s emergency department. There was a cannula attached to the right hand.

Roop’s mother Rita, still in the denial stage of grief, held his hand and said, “My son is not dead. He is still alive. Let’s take him to another hospital.”

An undergraduate student at Daffodil International University, Roop lived with his parents in the capital’s Hazaribagh. His father Rayeh is a businessman.

Roop went to Shahbagh with his friends yesterday (4 August) morning to join the protesters demanding the resignation of the government.

“He told me that he would go with his friends and come back together,” Rita said.

Around 3pm, while coming back from Shahbagh, Roop was seriously injured in gunshots fired by unidentified men at Banglamotor area. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the doctor declared him dead.

“Why didn’t I stop him in the morning? My son has left me. How will I live without him?” Rita lamented.

Roop’s friend Ashik (not his real name) said, “We were all together. Suddenly, there was a loud noise on one side and then we saw Roop lying on the road.

“We were together the whole time. I never imagined such a thing would happen.”