'They kept shooting and telling me to jump'
The police kept shooting at Amir Hossain as he hung from the fourth floor of a building. Even after being shot six times, he lived to tell his tale
18-year-old Amir Hossain worked in a hotel in Aftabnagar. On 18 July, he was coming home from work in the afternoon when he saw protests being held near Meradia Bazar.
He panicked when he saw Police and BGB approaching the protesters from both ends of the road. He ran into a nearby under-construction building and went upstairs, towards the rooftop. The police chased after him.
What happened afterwards, shocked the entire nation. The video of the incident shows Amir desperately grasping onto a rod as he kept hanging from the fourth floor of the building. Even at that moment, the police kept shooting at him.
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"When I entered the building, multiple police officers ran after me," he recounted.
To save himself, Amir jumped from the fourth floor and caught hold of a rod jutting out from one of the pillars.
"When I was hanging, they repeatedly told me to jump but I did not; I held on to the rod. They kept shooting at me and telling me to jump, but I hung on," he said, adding, "Then one police officer shot me from the third floor and six bullets pierced through my legs. I kept telling them I was not a part of the protest, I was just going home from work."
When those memories come back, they don't scare me. They make me sad. I keep thinking why did they shoot me? I neither took part in the protest nor harmed the police, why did they have to shoot me? But they did not listen to me.
After the police left, he jumped again and fell inside the verandah of the third floor. He kept screaming out in pain as both his legs bled profusely. "I was awake but in excruciating pain."
After around three hours, someone came along with two doctors from Famous Specialised Hospital, the building next to the one where Amir was shot.
The doctors gave him primary treatment and sent him off to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he stayed for three days. At present, he is undergoing treatment at another private hospital in Banasree.
'I never thought I was going to get shot six times'
Amir's older brother, Noyon Mia, is an RMG worker. They have a younger sister, Hasna. Their father Billal Mia is an auto-rickshaw driver in their village in Brahmanbaria.
All three siblings live in Meradia's Noyapara along with their fupu (paternal aunt) and her family.
He was born in Dhaka but went to their village in Brahmanbaria as a child. It has been five years since he returned to the city after his mother passed away.
When we met Amir at his home, which is a single tin-shed room really, he was lying on a bed that occupied most of the space. His injured legs rested on a pillow.
Poverty was evident in the tiny blue shelf containing utensils, the pots and pans crammed on another shelf on the wall, and the small plastic tool kept near the bed. The walls had huge, dark stains on them and the room was gloomy although it was afternoon.
He looked tired, his voice feeble. But when we asked him if he was still scared, he nodded "no".
"When those memories come back, they don't scare me. They make me sad. I keep thinking why did they shoot me? I neither took part in the protest nor harmed the police, why did they have to shoot me? But they did not listen to me."
Amir knew that students were protesting, just the day before he was shot, on 18 July in Rampura. But he never thought he would have to go through such a nightmare. "I never thought I was going to get shot six times."
"My father is upset because we never did anything wrong, never harmed anyone. Yet something so terrible happened to us, to me," he said.
Amir's aunt Nasima Begum told us that he is somewhat lucky that the bullets pierced through his legs and no bones were broken, but it will be three months before he can begin to walk a bit. For now, the doctors have told him to eat well and rest.
However, they have also told him that he cannot work like before, cannot put pressure especially on his right leg (it feels very weak, he said). He lost a lot of blood too and has been given medicines for three months.
'Who knows when he will be able to walk again?'
The student-led movement in Bangladesh, which ultimately toppled the Awami League government, began around July. The first deaths were reported on 16 July as more people were killed on 18, 19 and 20 July. Till now, the number of deaths stands at 626 and there are no exact figures for the number of injured.
The health department believes at present, there are around 500 people seeking treatment in government and private hospitals.
On 5 August, when he heard that Sheikh Hasina left, he felt a bit better. "The last government killed so many people, and injured so many. I want justice but I do not want to file any case, it is not for people like us. But I want justice."
"It has been a month since I went outside, walked, and saw sunlight. I used to have nightmares about the incident, but not anymore. The moment I regain walking, is the moment I visit Famous Specialised Hospital and meet the people who rescued me and saved my life. The day they treated me, they did not charge me a single penny, I will never forget it," he said.
The two brothers had toiled for years and saved Tk50,000-Tk60,000 for their sister's wedding. But now, most of it has been spent on Amir's treatment.
Although not enough, his family received around Tk15,000 from two different sources. In fact, during our interview we met a couple of students, including a senior political leader, who had come to provide him with some financial aid.
"I hope the government helps us out by giving him a job or something that can sustain us. Who knows when he will be able to walk again?" said the aunt.
