Ubaydul Haq (28) was brutally beaten during the anti-discrimination student movement, sustaining injuries all over his body from hammer blows, some of which caused deep bruises. His hand was broken and his fingers were crushed. His ankle was slashed with a sharp machete, and parts of his head were sunken from hammer strikes. After eight days in the ICU at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Ubaydul died on August 12. These details were revealed from the death certificate issued by the hospital.
Ubaydul was from Dattagram in Ishwarganj Upazila, Mymensingh. To support his family, he had been working various jobs in Dhaka for 12 years. Most recently, he was a driver for a private company. He also served as the Senior Vice President of the 24th Ward Jubo Dal in Tejgaon. Ubaydul lived in a rented house in the North Begunbari area with his wife, Zahera Khatun.
According to his family, on August 4, Ubaydul left home in the morning to join the anti-discrimination movement. After the protest, Ubaydul and a few others went to the BNP office in Paltan on two motorcycles. On their way back in the afternoon, they were attacked near Nightingale Mor in Paltan (in front of the Scout Building).
Locals rescued Ubaydul and admitted him to a hospital in Kakrail. His family received the news early the next morning, on August 5. He was later transferred to Dhaka Medical College, but due to roadblocks caused by the protests, they had to take him home. His condition worsened in the evening, and he was rushed back to Dhaka Medical College, where he was admitted to the ICU. Ubaydul never regained consciousness and passed away shortly after.
On August 13, his funeral prayers were held in front of the BNP central office and later in North Begunbari. His body was taken to his village the next day, and on the morning of August 14, he was buried in a cemetery near his home.
When the reporter visited Ubaydul’s family on a Tuesday afternoon, his mother, Morium Begum, came out of their worn-out home. With deep regret, she shared how she had constantly worried about her son joining the protests and repeatedly begged him not to go. Suddenly, Morium broke into tears, saying, “They beat my boy with chains. They hammered him to death. My boy was so strong, but they destroyed him—his eyes, everything. His body was covered in injuries. He was in no state to even stand up.”
Morium added, “This was my only son. Those who attacked and killed him, who have left me with an empty heart, I want justice from the government for what they did.”
Ubaydul had been married for two years, and his wife, Zahera Khatun, is now two months pregnant. In a phone conversation, Zahera said Ubaydul left home quickly upon hearing about the protest rally, despite her asking him not to go.
She added, “After my husband died, his family didn’t allow me to stay at their house. On August 30, Jamaat-e-Islami gave our family two lakh taka in assistance—one lakh for me and one lakh for my mother-in-law. The next day, my in-laws sent me away to my family because they didn’t like that I received the money. They didn’t even let me take any of my husband’s belongings as memories.” Zahera’s brother, Ruhul Amin, expressed concern, saying, “My sister is pregnant. What will happen to her child?”
In response to these allegations, Ubaydul’s family stated, “Zahera’s family took her away by force. We didn’t want to send her away, and it has nothing to do with the money.”
Ubaydul’s elder brother, Emdadul Haq, filed a murder case with Paltan Model Police Station on August 20, naming 25 individuals, including local leaders of the Jubo League and Chhatra League, as well as 25 unidentified persons.
