Teen Shot During Dhaka Protests Dies After Eight Months

Md Ashiqur Rahman Hridoy, a teenager shot in the head during last year’s student protests in Dhaka, has died after eight months of battling severe injuries. He passed away on Friday afternoon at Bauphal Upazila Health Complex in Patuakhali.

The 17-year-old, son of rickshaw puller Ansar Hawlader from Paschim Jauta village, had been working as a labourer in Dhaka and joined the anti-discrimination protests in July last year.

On July 18, Hridoy was shot in the head in Jatrabari. His family says he initially sought treatment in secret, later being admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on August 5. Doctors removed two bullets from his head, but a third remained lodged, leaving him in critical condition.

“He arrived at our hospital in a critical state around noon,” said Bauphal Upazila Health Officer Abdur Rauf. "We referred him to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal, but the family couldn’t move him in time. He died later in the afternoon."

Hridoy’s father, Ansar Hawlader, said he sold his rickshaw and a cow to cover medical costs but couldn’t afford advanced treatment abroad. “If he had received better care, my son might have survived,” he said.

His elder brother, Md Sohag Islam Anis, added, “He was in constant pain and ran a high fever for months. No one came forward to help with his advanced treatment. He died without the care he desperately needed.”