Living with old memories
For 91 days from January 5 to April 5 last year, there was hardly a single day when innocent people were not burnt to death or injured in arson attacks on public transports. Some lost their loved ones, others their lone bread earners during the longest spell of horror allegedly carried out by the BNP-led coalition, protesting the January 5, 2014, elections.
At least 95 people were killed and about 1,500 injured. Most of them were ordinary citizens, living from hand to mouth. Another 45 got killed in "shootouts" with law enforcement agencies. About half of them were allegedly involved in arson attacks.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The economic loss from the blockade and shutdown was enormous.
One year on, the overall picture has changed but the ordeals of those injured and the families of those killed have not.
The Daily Star visited over a dozen such families. Today's story is about petrol bomb victims of Magura.
It has always been her dream to live in a pukka house, which she has got now. It's a small, tin-roofed house in her small homestead. But she cannot live in it as it came at a high price -- her son Matin Biswas's life.
"All our life we longed for a house and we have it now. But my Moni [Matin] is no more to live in it," she said, crying incessantly.
Sakiran Begum lives in their old, decrepit hut, made of bamboo fence and corrugated iron sheets. The tiny hut says it all about her family's poverty. A cot, a mosquito net, a small table, and some utensils are all she has in the hut, which was partitioned by a bamboo fence. In one pat of it, she keeps her goats.
"I feel bad to live in that house. I can't live in there," she said, taking a pause before beginning to cry again.
The government built the house for Sakiran's family following the death of his son in a mindless arson attack during last year's BNP-led alliance's blockade which took a heavy toll on life and the country's economy.
Like Sakiran, there are six other families of burn victims who were compensated in Malikgram village of Chawlia union under Magura Sadar Upazila.
But, each building is a cruel reminder of life either lost or scarred with serious burn injuries and mental trauma.
Seven people of the village suffered severe burn injuries in a grisly petrol bomb attack on a truck in Magura on March 21. Four of them died later.
Another man from Faridpur was killed in the same attack. He was a relative of one of the victim families.
Of the victims, Matin and his uncle Roushan Ali Biswas, and their neighbour Shakil Ahed died on March 22 while Yadul succumbed to his burn injuries on March 25. Yadul's brother-in-law Imran Mollah, the truck driver from Kamarkhali upazila of Faridpur, died on April 1.
Another brother of Roushan, Ilias Ali Biswas, and their nephew Arab Ali Biswas and neighbour Nazmul Mollah and truck helper were badly injured.
Apart from building new houses, the government gave Tk 10 lakh to the dead victims' families and Tk 5 lakh to some of the injured in the village.
These correspondents visited the village last month to see how the victims' families were passing their days. Moments after entering the village, a white house with blue doors stood out amid several semi-pukka houses. A small signboard on the house read "Honourable Prime Minister's priority project -- 9 no Chawlia union".
It was the house of Nazmul Mollah, a day labourer, who survived 30 percent burns after taking treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for 24 days.
"I have survived luckily, but I cannot work. The burnt parts of my body still ache," Nazmul said.
After taking a stroll inside the village on narrow dirt roads, four similar houses were spotted. Two buildings were for Matin's and Roushan's families while the other two for injured Ilias Biswas and Arab Ali.
In front of one of these was sitting Sakiran Begum. As these correspondents wanted to engage her in a talk about her son, she kept mum. After some time, she started speaking in a low voice.
Both her husband, Tokon Biswas, in his 60s now, and her youngest son, Ripon Biswas, are day labourers.
One of Sakiran's valves has got damaged and she can neither do heavy work nor can speak loudly. It was her eldest son Matin who used to look after her. Lovingly, she used to call him Moni.
Holding a hand of one of the correspondents, she cried: "My Moni was as tall as you. I would get some consolation if he survived the burns."
After his son's death, she received a cheque of Tk 10 lakh, of which she gave Tk 6 lakh to Matin's wife who lives in her father's house in Magura with their two-and-a-half-year old child.
Seeing a little crowd, Sukrunnesa Begum, wife of Roushan Ali, arrived there. She is also facing harsh reality now.
Like Sakiran, she also got the money and the house but sees a bleak future ahead.
"Raising three young children without their father worries me most ... you know how difficult it is for a woman to live without her husband," she said. Her eldest son is nine and studies in class IV; her second son is seven and reads in class II and the youngest one is only one-and-a-half-year old.
"We were doing fine even when we used to live from hand to mouth. But now we don't find any peace even after getting help from the government and relatives," Sukrunnesa said.
Manjela Begum was the ill-fated mother whose son breathed his last before her own eyes. "He was a gentle boy who kept himself busy working for the family as we are poor," she said.
Shakil studied up to class IV and had to abandon his studies to assist his family, said his father Islam Molla, also a day labourer.
The story of Ayesha Begum is more pathetic. She lost her only son Yadul and a son-in-law, Imran Mollah, in that bomb attack.
Yadul was the only brother to six sisters.
After his father's death nearly 20 years ago, the family had to struggle enormously to get by. To support the family, he chose to work for a truck as one of his brothers-in-law was a trucker.
"All he [Yadul] wanted was to ease my hardship, but that was not to be," said Ayesha, taking a deep sigh.
With the shock of her son's death still fresh in her mind, her son-in-law Imran, who had 50 percent of his body burnt and his respiratory tract damaged, died five days later.
She informed that her daughter Lovely was leading a miserable life after the death of Imran. Lovely lives in her husband's house in Kamarkhali of Faridpur with her two-year-old daughter.
"My daughter did not get any compensation. Plus, her in-laws do not give her any support," Ayesha said.
"Will you note down her name so that she can get some help?" she requested.
Our Jhenidah Correspondent Azibor Rahman also contributed to this report. to cry again.
The government built the house for Sakiran's family following the death of his son in a mindless arson attack during last year's BNP-led alliance's blockade which took a heavy toll on life and the country's economy.
Like Sakiran, there are six other families of burn victims who were compensated in Malikgram village of Chawlia union under Magura Sadar Upazila.
But, each building is a cruel reminder of life either lost or scarred with serious burn injuries and mental trauma.
Seven people of the village suffered severe burn injuries in a grisly petrol bomb attack on a truck in Magura on March 21. Four of them died later.
Another man from Faridpur was killed in the same attack. He was a relative of one of the victim families.
Of the victims, Matin and his uncle Roushan Ali Biswas, and their neighbour Shakil Ahed died on March 22 while Yadul succumbed to his burn injuries on March 25. Yadul's brother-in-law Imran Mollah, the truck driver from Kamarkhali upazila of Faridpur, died on April 1.
Another brother of Roushan, Ilias Ali Biswas, and their nephew Arab Ali Biswas and neighbour Nazmul Mollah and truck helper were badly injured.
Apart from building new houses, the government gave Tk 10 lakh to the dead victims' families and Tk 5 lakh to some of the injured in the village.
These correspondents visited the village last month to see how the victims' families were passing their days. Moments after entering the village, a white house with blue doors stood out amid several semi-pukka houses. A small signboard on the house read "Honourable Prime Minister's priority project -- 9 no Chawlia union".
It was the house of Nazmul Mollah, a day labourer, who survived 30 percent burns after taking treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for 24 days.
"I have survived luckily, but I cannot work. The burnt parts of my body still ache," Nazmul said.
After taking a stroll inside the village on narrow dirt roads, four similar houses were spotted. Two buildings were for Matin's and Roushan's families while the other two for injured Ilias Biswas and Arab Ali.
In front of one of these was sitting Sakiran Begum. As these correspondents wanted to engage her in a talk about her son, she kept mum. After some time, she started speaking in a low voice.
Both her husband, Tokon Biswas, in his 60s now, and her youngest son, Ripon Biswas, are day labourers.
One of Sakiran's valves has got damaged and she can neither do heavy work nor can speak loudly. It was her eldest son Matin who used to look after her. Lovingly, she used to call him Moni.
Holding a hand of one of the correspondents, she cried: "My Moni was as tall as you. I would get some consolation if he survived the burns."
After his son's death, she received a cheque of Tk 10 lakh, of which she gave Tk 6 lakh to Matin's wife who lives in her father's house in Magura with their two-and-a-half-year old child.
Seeing a little crowd, Sukrunnesa Begum, wife of Roushan Ali, arrived there. She is also facing harsh reality now.
Like Sakiran, she also got the money and the house but sees a bleak future ahead.
"Raising three young children without their father worries me most ... you know how difficult it is for a woman to live without her husband," she said. Her eldest son is nine and studies in class IV; her second son is seven and reads in class II and the youngest one is only one-and-a-half-year old.
"We were doing fine even when we used to live from hand to mouth. But now we don't find any peace even after getting help from the government and relatives," Sukrunnesa said.
Manjela Begum was the ill-fated mother whose son breathed his last before her own eyes. "He was a gentle boy who kept himself busy working for the family as we are poor," she said.
Shakil studied up to class IV and had to abandon his studies to assist his family, said his father Islam Molla, also a day labourer.
The story of Ayesha Begum is more pathetic. She lost her only son Yadul and a son-in-law, Imran Mollah, in that bomb attack.
Yadul was the only brother to six sisters.
After his father's death nearly 20 years ago, the family had to struggle enormously to get by. To support the family, he chose to work for a truck as one of his brothers-in-law was a trucker.
"All he [Yadul] wanted was to ease my hardship, but that was not to be," said Ayesha, taking a deep sigh.
With the shock of her son's death still fresh in her mind, her son-in-law Imran, who had 50 percent of his body burnt and his respiratory tract damaged, died five days later.
She informed that her daughter Lovely was leading a miserable life after the death of Imran. Lovely lives in her husband's house in Kamarkhali of Faridpur with her two-year-old daughter.
"My daughter did not get any compensation. Plus, her in-laws do not give her any support," Ayesha said.
"Will you note down her name so that she can get some help?" she requested.
Our Jhenidah Correspondent Azibor Rahman also contributed to this report.
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