Md Mamun Islam, Rangpur

Due to severe financial crisis, footpath vegetable vendor Babu Mian (65) is still suffering from bullet injuries and requires urgent treatment for removing the bullets from his leg.

Poor Babu Mian wholeheartedly supported the anti-discrimination student movement, to see a positive change at all levels in the society, which led to the fall of autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.

Little did he know that his participation in the movement would bring great suffering to him and make him a burden to the family.

Widely known as a very gentle and polite person, Babu is a underprivileged resident of New Jummapara Pakarmatha area of Rangpur city. He is a roadside vegetable vendor by profession.

He used to rush to his makeshift vegetable shop in the city market every morning. He lived a poor life with whatever income he had. He had no more ambition but to pass the rest of life in peace.

Babu was seriously injured in police firing, while he was on his way to take part in the massive processions of the anti-discrimination student-people movement on July 19 in the city.

Now, helpless Babu suffers from numerous gunshot wounds in his left leg. Sometimes, he cries out in agony and pain thinking about his future, as there is a possibility of paralysis or gangrene forming in his leg.

He is spending his days lying in bed as there are still multiple pellets inside his left leg. Blood and pus are frequently coming out from his left leg.

He is currently unable to walk alone and usually walks by leaning on the shoulders of others. Babu, who used to support his family by selling vegetables, is now looking for help from others to survive.

His wife, three sons and wives of three sons have been providing care to the injured Babu all day long.

Due to lack of money, he is unable to buy medicines and get proper treatment. Family members are worried that Babu's left leg could rot any time. This could lead to him becoming crippled in his old age.

As a result, family members of Babu are spending their days in fear that he will be permanently disabled due to lack of advanced medical facilities.

While talking to BSS at their home in New Jummapara Pakarmatha area recently, Babu and his family members narrated the tragic events that have happened to him since he was injured on July 19.

Babu's family lives in a tin-roofed house built on just three decimals of land. His wife Meher Banu, 60, is a housewife.

He has three sons and no daughter. All three sons are married and they have a total of six children.

His eldest son, Hafizul Islam, 40, is an electrician and works from house to house when someone calls him. His wife Amena Begum, 35, is a housewife. They have two daughters and a son.

Hamidul Islam, 29, the second son of Babu Mian, is a visually impaired young man who is blind in his left eye. He is also an electrician. His wife, Achhia Begum, 24, is a housewife. They have a daughter.

His youngest son Ashraful Alam, 23, is a sanitary worker and works from house to house when hired. His wife Moushumi Khatun, 20, is a housewife. The couple has a son and a daughter.

Since Babu Mia's three sons earn very little and irregularly, they cannot raise money to pay for their father's leg surgery and buy medicine and nutritious food for him.

Recalling the tragic day, Babu Mia's elder son said like every day, Babu Mian was selling vegetables at his makeshift roadside shop near the Koilash Ranjan High School in the City Market area on July 19.

He planned to participate in the massive march of the anti-discrimination student-public movement from the Zilla School grounds at 3 pm on that day.

Various political parties and organizations had simultaneously announced to make their protest marches on the same day on the streets in support of the anti-discrimination student movement.

Meanwhile, after the martyrdom of Abu Sayeed, a talented student of Begum Rokeya University and student coordinator, in police firing on July 16, the situation became worst in Rangpur like elsewhere across the country.

After offering Friday's Juma prayers in a mosque, Babu came to his shop and started selling vegetables again.

Originating from different places across the city, many processions were moving towards Zilla School passing through Shapla Square, Grand Hotel Mour, Jahaz Company Mour, Paira Chattar and other points on the main streets.

At that time, hundreds of armed police personnel with armored personnel carriers (APC) were rushing towards the protest processions of students and people.

Student leaders from the processions were using loudspeakers and requesting police repeatedly not to open fire on them, as the processions will go to Zilla School peacefully as per their previously announced plan.

The police forces were rushing violently towards the Zilla Parishad Community Center, City Corporation Office, Over Bridge, City Market and Raja Ram Mohan Market areas from the Rangpur Police Lines area.

"At one stage, a clash broke out between the police, students and crowds in front of the City Market and its adjoining areas around 4 pm," Babu said.

Awami League leaders and activists and the police, along with students and crowds, were in a constant chase and counter-chase and brickbats were thrown turning the entire area into a battlefield.

"To quell the students and crowd, police fired from APC vehicles, opened gunfire and fired pellets, rubber bullets and tear gas shells killing a number of people, creating a fearful and deadly situation in the whole area," said Babu.

He hurriedly closed his roadside vegetable shop in the extremely heated situation but didn't leave the place, instead he joined the processions only 50-meter away from his footpath vegetable shop.

"At around 4:45 pm, the police shot me in the left leg right in front of my vegetable shop. I saw the face of the policeman who was shooting at me," he said.

At that time, he suddenly felt a severe pain in his leg and saw blood pouring out from his leg. He ran away in the opposite direction to escape the police with severe pain in his left leg when he found himself shot in the leg.

"At that time, locals rescued me and tried to send me to Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH). They could not take me directly to the hospital through the main road as the police had cordoned off the area," Babu said.

They took him to the hospital in a rickshaw through remote roads passing through Jummapara, New Jummapara Pakarmatha, Jalkor, Sodapir Mazar and Medical East Gate areas at 6 pm.

He said, "The on-duty doctors, nurses, internee doctors and staff were very cooperative. They arranged everything for my treatment there. The doctor removed a few bullets from his left leg and prescribed medicines."

The doctor said that there were several more bullets deep inside his (Babu's) leg, which could be removed through major surgery.

"As the police were searching for all the patients admitted to the RpMCH who were injured in police firing to arrest them as terrorists, I had to leave the hospital that night without taking the necessary documents like release papers," Babu said.

After returning home from the hospital on July 19 at night, Babu has been spending his days lying in bed.

Babu Mian's leg condition started getting worse. Family members were buying medicine for him with the help of neighbors.

"My leg hurts all day long and I can't walk. The thought of when I will be able to lead a normal life is constantly on my mind," said Babu.

Babu's youngest son Ashraful Alam said, "Only two bullets have been removed from my father's leg. The doctor didn't remove the rest because they were too deep in the leg and suggested my father to take the prescribed medicines regularly."

"The condition of my father's leg continued worsening. As we couldn't take my father to an MBBS doctor, we took him to a local rural medical practitioner who said that if my father is operated on outside, it will cost a lot of money," Ashraful said.

He said, "Medicines are very costly and we can't purchase them regularly. That is why I am seeking necessary assistance from the interim government for better treatment of my father."

Babu's daughter-in-law and Ashraful's wife Moushumi Khatun said blood and pus has started coming out of my father-in-law's leg after a few days since his return from the hospital.

"We, the wives of my in-laws' three sons, started wiping the left leg of our father-in-law all day to keep it clean and to prevent it from rotting," she said.

Moushumi said her father-in-law's income from selling vegetables was used for the family's needs. But now, since he is unable to work, there are many financial problems. On top of that, he has to take expensive medicines.

"I want the government to provide us support for my father-in-law's treatment," she said, adding that their poor family members had to borrow about Taka two lakh so far for the treatment purpose.

Babu's neighbor Aminul Islam said, Babu Mian is a very honest, simple and gentle man. He is now a helpless person.

His family is running out of money to buy even salt. His income has stopped after he was seriously injured in the anti-discrimination student-people protest in police firing.

"We, the neighbors, helped our Babu as much as we could. If he could receive some government grants, the bullet in his left leg could have been removed through surgery to relieve him of the pain and suffering," said Aminul.

Since Babu could not visit a qualified doctor for check-ups for a few months, and names of hospital doctors who treated him are not listed in the documents available to him, no specialist physician was available to comment on his current health condition.

When this BSS correspondent contacted Dr Md Abdul Baset, Associate Professor of the Department of Surgery at RpMCH, while interviewing Babu at his house, the doctor said that he was out of Rangpur on vacation at the time.

Dr. Baset advised this BSS correspondent to take Babu Mian to him at RpMCH on December 17 and said that he would do his best for his treatment and surgery after the necessary check-up.

Meanwhile Babu's thoughts are whether he can return to normal life! Will he be able to undergo proper treatment and surgery and recover to look after his family again?