Rakibul Hasan (27) was working as an engineer in a private company. He lived in the Kalshi Road area of Mirpur, Dhaka. A few days ago, he informed his family members in Jhenaidah that the situation in Dhaka was not good due to the quota reform movement. His family advised him to stay safe. Two days later, his family found his body, riddled with bullets.
Rakibul was the son of Abu Bakkar Siddique and Hafiza Begum from Basudevpur village in Harinakundu Upazila, Jhenaidah. On July 19, while leaving his house in Mirpur, Dhaka, he was shot. On July 20, his body arrived at their home in Circuit House Para, Jhenaidah. Later, he was buried in their family graveyard in Basudevpur village.
Rakibul’s father, Abu Bakkar Siddique, a retired Air Force officer, currently lives a retired life. He resided in a house in front of Circuit House in Jhenaidah town with his wife and two children. His elder son, Iqbal Hossain, is a senior officer at Sonali Bank.
The family has no information on how Rakibul was shot. His elder brother, Iqbal Hossain, told Prothom Alo yesterday that on the night of July 19, his colleagues informed him that Rakibul had gone downstairs for some work in the evening when he was shot and killed. They know nothing about what exactly happened. They learned this from two friends of Rakibul who came with his body.
The family revealed that Abu Bakkar Siddique wanted one of his two sons to become an engineer and serve the country. The elder son, Iqbal Hossain, took a job at Sonali Bank after completing his studies. To fulfill his father’s wish, Rakibul Hasan studied hard day and night. He scored GPA-5 in both SSC and HSC and got admitted to the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). After graduating from there, he worked as an automobile engineer in a private company and was preparing for the BCS exams.
Iqbal Hossain said that Rakibul Hasan lived in a rented house on Kalshi Road in Mirpur-11, Dhaka. He was never involved in any political activities or rallies. He had not even participated in any quota reform movement rallies. Two days before his death, he called home and spoke with everyone, mentioning that the situation in Dhaka was not good due to ongoing protests. His family advised him to be careful. After that, they lost contact.
Despite living in Dhaka, Rakibul often visited home. Parvin Begum, a neighbor from Circuit House Para, said that Rakibul was a very polite boy who never argued with anyone and was very intelligent. His marriage was being discussed, but now they cannot understand how such a tragedy occurred.
Parvin Begum mentioned that according to the two friends who brought Rakibul’s body, on that evening, he had gone downstairs for some work when intense shooting began outside. A bullet struck his chest, causing him to collapse there.
