Political violence is claiming many innocent lives almost every day across the country. Three incidents, on Monday, in three separate places, within only a few hours, bore yet another testimony to the fact that common people are often treated as mere pawns to supplement the fascinating power game between political parties. Md Ramzan Ali, a middle-aged van driver, hailing from Kaliakhur upzalia of Gazipur district, brought his mentally deranged son, Monir Hossain, to the capital to show him the glittering city. “I hardly find any time to take my children to visit picturesque locations. So, I decided to take my child for a bit of sight-seeing even during the countrywide hartal,” Ali told The Independent. “I drive a covered van of Tangail Transport. After loading goods from Chawkbazar area in Old Dhaka, I reached Gazipur Chowrasta around 4:30 am,” he added.
Ali parked his vehicle beside the road side. The father and the son ate together at a roadside hotel. “I told my son to sleep inside the covered van. Keeping him there, I went to know about the latest condition of hartal and to safely unload the goods. I was standing just 250-300 yards away from my covered van,” said Ali.
Suddenly, Ali saw a devastating fire blazing inside his vehicle. Fire-fighting units and the police rushed to the spot, they tried to doused the flames. “I ran to the vehicle only to see the leaping tongues of fire. I saw my son was lying on a side of the road. His clothes were completely burnt,” said Ali. ”Some eyewitnesses told me that five to six youths poured something like patrol from bottles and fled the scene before police arrived there,” he added.
The child was rushed to Gazipur Sadar Hospital, but physicians referred him to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
“Monir was a student of class five, but he stopped going to school because of mental illness. I have another son, Likhon, who also wanted to come with us. Almighty Allah has saved Likhon. I don’t know how I would bear the cost of Monir’s treatment as 95 per cent of his body has been burnt,” said the dejected father, sobbing uncontrollably. “I am not a political man. I am only a poor driver. Why did they have to do this to my son?” he asked bystanders, none of whom could see him in the eyes.
In another incident at Joydebpur area, two persons of a family, including a minor girl, were seriously burnt when miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at running vehicles on Sunday.
Rahima Begum, 45, along with her granddaughter Sumi, a student of class one, was coming to visit her daughter Rabeya Begum in Uttara area of the city. But when they reached Joydevpur Crossing, some miscreants suddenly hurled patrol bombs on the running bus, said Md Kamal Hossain, husband of Rabeya at the Burn Unit of DMCH.
Both Rahima and Sumi were senseless when the Independent inquired about their condition. Both of them were seriously burnt.
Md Kamal, who works as a caretaker of a private house in Uttara, said, “We are very poor. We are not involved in politics. I do not know why this has happened to us.”
In another incident on Sunday night, Ashadul Gazi, son of the late Sekhan Gazi, hailing from Baufol Upzaila under Patuakhali district, was seriously burnt in front of Savar Cantonment Public High School,
His brother-in-law, Md Ruhul Amin, told The Independent that Gazi had gone out to drive CNG-run auto rickshaw around the city to collect some extra fare during the hartal. He did this for some extra bucks to meet educational expenses of his two daughters.
Md Hashu Miah, an employee of Biswas Textile, was also critically injured in the incident, while Mostafizur Rahman Mukul, 35, a purchase officer of Biswas Group of companies, died on Monday morning.
-With The Independent input
