A Flag in Hand, A Life Cut Short
When I get older, I will be stronger. They'll call me 'Freedom', just like a wavin' flag.
In the heat of the anti-discrimination student movement last July, Samiu Aman Nur, a 13-year-old activist of Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, stood unwavering. On July 18, during a fierce clash with police at Dhaka’s Uttara BNS Center, he was injured but remained steadfast. Despite a nationwide curfew, Nur continued to join protests, always at the forefront from July 19 onward.
On August 5, after news of Sheikh Hasina’s departure, the young student from Gazipur’s Tongi joined a victory procession, holding the national flag as he left home. Raised in Tongi’s Bou Bazar, Nur could not have foreseen that a bullet would end his life even after the fall of an autocratic regime. His family, too, was unprepared for the heartbreaking loss of their beloved son.
Samiu Aman Nur was a seventh-grader at Tongi’s Siraj Uddin Sarker Vidyaniketan. His family lives in Tongi’s Purbo Arichpur, with their ancestral home in Kachua, Chandpur. Chhatrashibir leaders confirmed that Nur was an active member of the Gazibari sub-branch under Tongi Industrial Area’s Ward 45.
Eight months after the July uprising, allegations have emerged that no leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement have visited Nur’s family. Neither central nor local representatives have checked on their welfare. However, on March 24, the July Revolutionary Alliance held an iftar with the families of martyrs, including Nur’s.
Meanwhile, Professor Jamal Uddin, the Gazipur Metropolitan Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, visited Nur’s family, offering condolences and presenting two lakh taka on behalf of the organization. The July Smriti Foundation also provided five lakh taka to support the family.
Samiu Aman Nur, the youngest in his family, was the cherished brother of three sisters. At just 13, standing over five feet tall, he was a gentle, polite, and brilliant student, fluent in English and admired as an ideal scholar. Yet, his promising life was brutally ended by a bullet on August 5.
Reports state that shortly after 3 p.m. that day, Nur, elated by Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, joined the victory procession. As he descended from the Uttara BNS Flyover, a targeted shot from a nearby building struck his head. He collapsed instantly. Rushed to Tongi Government Hospital and later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Nur was diverted to Uttara Adhunik Hospital when transport became impossible. There, Samiu Aman Nur, now remembered as a martyr, took his final breath.
Nur’s father, Md. Aman Ullah demanded justice, stating, “My son and all martyrs must receive justice. Sheikh Hasina must face the gallows, and Awami League’s registration must be revoked.”
His elder sister, Afrin Aman, echoed this call: “Our beloved younger brother was killed on Sheikh Hasina’s orders. We demand justice for his murder, and their politics must be banned.”
