Mere announcement of verdict against Hasina fails to placate Sajal's mother
Shahina Begum, mother of Sazzad Hossain Sajal, who was among the six students who were killed before being piled into a police van and set on fire during the anti-discrimination students' movement in Ashulia, has called for expedited execution of the verdict after bringing back Sheikh Hasina in the country.
Like many others, Shahina Begum watched the live broadcast of the tribunal verdict sentencing Sheikh Hasina to death from her village home.
Shahina came up with the demand while speaking to reporters over phone.
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When speaking, Sajal's mother, Shahina Begum, broke down in tears.
"What is the use of hearing the verdict? I want the execution of the verdict soon. My son was shot dead in public and then burned. Hasina should be shot and burned the same way in public. After my son was shot, he struggled. He wanted to drink water. Later, he became weak and died," she said.
Expressing frustration over the verdict of former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, Shahina Begum, said "He was the police chief at the time. What difference does it make if he turned state witness? He got only five years, which is unacceptable."
Sajal, a 20-year-old, was a BSc student at City University in Savar. His mother worked as a cleaner at the Ashulia Women and Children Hospital to support his education, hoping her son would one day become an engineer.
"People would have called me the mother of an engineer. All those dreams were shattered when Hasina's police force shot him, loaded him into a van and burned him to death in front of the Ashulia Police Station," she said.
Shahina Begum is now living in her village home in Saghata upazila of Gaibandha. After losing her son in such a horrific manner, she said she is unable to focus on anything.
She said Sajal regularly joined the anti-discrimination movement from the beginning, taking part in road blockades with friends. Even though his family urged him not to risk clashes with police, he continued participating in demonstrations on the Bypile road. "He vowed he would not return home until Hasina fell from power," she said.
At this point, she broke down in tears again and said "Hasina has fallen, but my son came home as a burnt corpse."
Sajal was the only son of his parents. He had married by choice and had a young daughter.
