Tribute to a fallen friend

Among the neatly arranged benches, one seat remained empty.

In place of a student, there was a bouquet of flowers and a white paper bearing the name, "Shafiq Uddin Ahmed Ahnaf".

Just a little over a month ago, Ahnaf, a student of   BAF Shaheen College, gave exams in this very seat.

A bouquet of flowers on the bench where Shafiq Uddin Ahmed Ahnaf should have been as his classmates sit for an exam at the BAF Shaheen College in Dhaka yesterday. Ahnaf, 17, was shot dead at Mirpur-10 a day before Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. His teachers placed the bouquet and the name tag in his remembrance. Photo: Courtesy of Borhan Uddin

Shortly after, the government ordered closure of educational institutions as protests against attacks on quota reform protesters intensified. 

Yesterday, the college finally reopened its doors, and Ahnaf's friends resumed their first-year final examination. But Ahnaf did not return. He won't ever, just like many other students killed by law enforcers' bullets.

The 17-year-old was shot dead when police opened fire on anti-government protesters in the capital's Mirpur-10 area on August 4.

He had already completed three of his exams when the violence erupted and led to the suspension of the remaining tests.

Yesterday, as his friends returned to take their final exam in accounting, Ahnaf's absence was felt deeply.

The sight of his empty seat, adorned with flowers, was a form of tribute from his friends and teachers, and was also a reminder of the human costs that contributed to Sheikh Hasina's fall.

The sight of his empty seat, adorned with flowers, was a form of tribute from his friends and teachers, and was also a reminder of the human costs that contributed to Sheikh Hasina's fall.

It was a gesture of respect, of mourning, and of the unspoken words that lingered in the minds of everyone present.

In the exam hall, the usual tension of an exam was replaced by a heavy silence. Occasionally, the cries of Ahnaf's friends broke through the silence as they broke into tears.

The invigilator's voice seemed softer, and the students' focus was often broken by the sight of that solitary bouquet.

As they filled out their answer sheets, Ahnaf's classmates knew that Ahnaf's murder would haunt them for a very long time.

"Ahnaf attended the last three exams, but today [yesterday] he wasn't here," said one student.

"It was hard to focus; three students cried in the room," another added.

Borhan Uddin, a teacher at BAF Shaheen College, who was invigilator of the exam hall, said, "We did not want Ahnaf's seat to remain empty. He sacrificed his life for the country. We decided to honour him with this gesture of placing flowers on his seat. Both teachers and students came together to lay floral tributes on his desk. Everyone was moved to tears during this time."

Vice Principal Shakila Nargis said, "His seat is empty, and it's painful for us all. We wanted to show that we haven't forgotten him."

The college plans to hold prayers on August 20 to honour Ahnaf's memory.

His father, Nasir Uddin Ahmed, said, "My boy is gone, but he has left many memories... There was no fear in him. I could not stop my son [from joining protests]."