Teen injured during July Uprising dies with bullet lodged in head

Md Ashiqur Rahman Hridoy, a teenager who was shot during the student protests in Dhaka last year, has died while undergoing treatment in Patuakhali.

The 17-year-old passed away on Friday afternoon at the Bauphal Upazila Health Complex, eight months after being shot in the Jatrabari area of the capital.

Hridoy was the son of rickshaw driver Ansar Hawlader from Paschim Jauta village in Bauphal.

Bauphal Upazila Health Officer Abdur Rauf said, “Hridoy was brought to the hospital in critical condition around noon. Due to the severity of his condition, we referred him to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal. However, the family couldn’t transfer him in time. He passed away later in the afternoon.”

According to the family, Hridoy worked as a labourer in Dhaka and had taken part in the anti-discrimination protests in July last year.

On Jul 18, he was shot in the head in the Jatrabari area.

He initially sought treatment in secret.

After Aug 5, he was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Doctors were able to remove two bullets from his head, but a third remained lodged. As a result, Hridoy never fully recovered.

“I couldn’t afford advanced treatment for my son. I sold my rickshaw and a cow to cover whatever medical expenses I could. If he had received treatment abroad, my son might still be alive,” said his father Ansar Hawlader.

Hridoy’s elder brother, Md Sohag Islam Anis, added: “He had been seriously ill for a long time. He was in constant pain and often had a fever. No one came forward to help with his advanced treatment. He died because he didn’t receive the care he needed.”