Fifteen-year-old Alif Ahmed was determined to join the quota reform movement in Bangladesh, despite his mother Tania Akter’s pleas to stay home. Alif’s words to his mother—”If I die, you’ll be a martyr’s mother”—now resonate with deep sorrow.
On August 5, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, Alif joined a victory procession in Savar, near Dhaka. During a confrontation between police and protesters in the Thana Stand area, Alif was shot. He succumbed to his injuries on August 7 while receiving treatment at Enam Medical College Hospital.
Alif was the beloved son of Tania Akter and Bulbul Kabir, who reside in a rented home in Islamnagar, near Jahangirnagar University in Savar. He was a tenth-grade student at Dairy Farm High School.
Yesterday, the family’s home was filled with neighbors offering condolences. Tania, seated by her son’s bed and holding her daughter Israt, stared blankly at Alif’s study table, her heart heavy with grief. “He understood how to love his mother at such a young age,” Tania recalled, tears in her eyes. “He was not just my son; he was my friend and comforter. Whenever I was sad, he would wipe away my tears.”
Alif had dreams of becoming a pilot, promising to take his parents on Hajj one day. He was thoughtful beyond his years, ensuring his mother’s comfort by setting up the mosquito net and placing water by her bed. “I want justice for those who took my son from me,” Tania said. “I want to see them punished before I die.”
Alif’s study table is adorned with clippings of famous sites around the world—places he had hoped to visit one day. His father, Bulbul Kabir, sat quietly on the sofa, reflecting on the son he lost.
Bulbul recalled how he had initially accompanied Alif to the protests. On August 5, Alif joined the students of Jahangirnagar University in Savar. After clashes with police, he returned to the C&B area. Upon hearing of Sheikh Hasina’s fall, he joined a victory march heading towards Ganabhaban. It was during this time that police opened fire at Thana Stand, and Alif was shot. The family was notified later that day and found him at Enam Medical College Hospital.
“On that final day, I told Alif to be careful, but he was determined to go,” Bulbul recounted. “His mother tried to stop him, but he said, ‘If I die, you’ll be a martyr’s mother.’ She responded, ‘There’s no need to be a martyr’s mother, just stay home.’ But he went anyway.”
With a voice filled with emotion, Bulbul added, “We had dreams for him—that he would finish his studies and achieve great things, lifting all our sorrows. Now, I can’t even look at others his age without thinking of my Alif. I will never get my son back. I demand justice for those responsible for his death.”
