Thakurgaon Correspondent

Ridoy Kumar Sagar, 19, still goes through a traumatic situation as he embraced 37 bullets during the student-mass uprising toppling Sheikh Hasina's 15 years autocratic rule.

The teenage boy along with his friends joined the movement in July-August seeing atrocities of law enforcers on the innocent mass people across the country.

The fearless participation of millions of people in the upsurge eventually brought an end to the autocracy led by Sheikh Hasina forcing her to flee the country to India after stepping down from the prime minister. But, hundreds of people had to face martyrdom and thousands like Sagar had to be severely injured experiencing untold sufferings.

Sagar even facing financial hardship to continue his treatment along with physical wounds as his father Robin Chandra Das (Lalon), a fourth class employee of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), Thakurgaon, is the only earner in their four member family.

His father faces hardship in bearing the expanses of his household including education of Sagar and his sister. The poverty-stricken family lives in an almost abandoned colony of the Water Development Board.

Eyewitness Mehedi Hasan Mim, a friend of Sagar, said on July 18, he and his friends Monir Hossain and Ridoy Kumar Sagar joined the agitation during the complete shutdown of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

"At one stage, the police carried out a sudden attack on us unexpectedly, in which many people including my friend Sagar received bullet injuries," he said.

Amidst the smoke of teargas shells, Ridoy got wounded and collapsed on the street, Mehedi Hasan said, adding: "We somehow took him by rickshaw to Thakurgaon 250-bed Government Hospital. Doctors told us that Sagar received 37 bullet wounds".

Monir Hossain, another of his friends and an eyewitness said, "We forbade Sagar to come to the movement with such injury, but he took part in the movement again with a break of 1 day".

Until the last day of the movement, Sagar continued joining processions and rallies and sometimes he received treatment at hospital, he said.

Talking to BSS, Sagar said with emotion-choked voice, "How many of my friends across the country lost their lives, how many were taken by the police and Chhatra League, who never returned home. But, in comparison, I am just injured and returned to my parents and sister. Many of my friends will never return. So, in fact, nothing happened to me."

Like every poor parents, Sagar's parents have also expectation that their son will grow up one day and remove the family's suffering. But now the entire family is worried about the recovery from the injury of Sagar, a fourth semester student at Hads Institute of Agri Technology in Nishchintapur of the district town.

Sagar's father said he is an ordinary employee, struggling to bear the expanses of his household including education of his son and daughter.

"During my hardship, my son was also injured in that way. I have incurred a lot of debt to meet his medical expenses. Physicians are trying hard but we have to buy most of the medicines from outside. In this situation, it has become very difficult for me to meet the expanses of the treatment of my son," Das said.

Parts of 5-6 bullets have been removed from Sagar's leg, chest and belly through surgery but rest of the bullets made small to large wounds, he said.

Resident Medical Officer of 250-bed General Hospital, Thakurgaon Dr Rakibul Alam Chayon said Sagar's treatment will take long time.

He suggested Sagar's family to provide him sufficient balanced diet due to bleeding.

The physician said he will recommend the higher authorities to bear the expanses of the treatment of Sagar, if he gets the expenditure account.

Sagar's friends said he not only joined the student movement but also he was an active participant of different social works including blood donation.

The residents of Thakurgaon expected that the interim government will stand by all the injured of the mass-upsurge including Sagar.