The police continued to shoot Amir Hossain as he hung from the fourth floor of a building. Even after being shot six times, he survived and was able to tell his story.
At the end of July, a video circulated on social media showing Amir Hossain hanging from a building under construction while police repeatedly shot at him. Photos: Olid Ibne Shah
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At the end of July, a video circulated on social media showing Amir Hossain hanging from a building under construction while police repeatedly shot at him. Photos: Olid Ibne Shah
Amir Hossain, 18, worked in a hotel in Aftabnagar. On July 18, he was returning home from work in the afternoon when he saw protests taking place near Meradia Bazar.
He panicked when he saw police and BGB approaching the protesters from both ends of the street. He ran into a nearby building under construction and climbed the stairs to the roof. The police chased him.
What happened next shocked the entire nation. The video of the incident shows Amir desperately clinging to a pole while hanging from the fourth floor of the building. Even at that moment, the police continued to shoot at him.
To save himself, Amir jumped from the fourth floor and grabbed hold of a pole sticking out of one of the pillars. Photo: Collected
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To save himself, Amir jumped from the fourth floor and grabbed hold of a pole sticking out of one of the pillars. Photo: Collected
“When I entered the building, several police officers ran after me,” he said.
To save himself, Amir jumped from the fourth floor and held on to a pole that protruded from one of the pillars.
“When I was hanging, they repeatedly asked me to jump, but I didn’t; I held on to the pole. They kept shooting at me and telling me to jump, but I held on,” he said, adding: “Then a policeman shot at me from the third floor and six bullets pierced my legs. I kept telling them that I was not part of the protest, I was just going home from work.”
When these memories come back, they don’t scare me. They make me sad. I always wonder why they shot me. I didn’t take part in the protest or do anything to the police, why did they have to shoot me? But they didn’t listen to me.
Amir Hossain
After the police left, he jumped again and fell onto the third-floor veranda. He kept screaming in pain while both of his legs bled profusely. “I was awake but in excruciating pain.”
After about three hours, someone came by with two doctors from the Famous Specialised Hospital, the building next to the one where Amir was shot.
Doctors initially treated him and sent him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he stayed for three days. He is currently undergoing treatment at another private hospital in Banasree.
“I never thought I would be shot six times”
Amir’s elder brother, Noyon Mia, is an RMG worker. They have a younger sister, Hasna. Their father, Billal Mia, is an autorickshaw driver in their village in Brahmanbaria.
All three siblings live together with their Fupu (paternal aunt) and her family in Noyapara, Meradia.
He was born in Dhaka but went to her village in Brahmanbaria as a child. It has been five years since he returned to the city after his mother’s death.
The bullets did not damage his bones. Photo: Olid Ibne Shah
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The bullets did not damage his bones. Photo: Olid Ibne Shah
When we met Amir at his home, which is essentially just one room in a tin shack, he was lying on a bed that took up most of the room, his injured legs resting on a pillow.
Poverty was evident in the tiny blue shelf of kitchen utensils, the pots and pans crammed onto another shelf against the wall, and the small plastic tool that sat next to the bed. The walls had large, dark stains on them and the room was gloomy, even though it was afternoon.
He looked tired, his voice was weak. But when we asked him if he was still afraid, he nodded.
“When these memories come back, they don’t scare me. They make me sad. I always wonder why they shot me. I didn’t take part in the protest or do anything to the police, why did they have to shoot me? But they didn’t listen to me.”
Amir knew that there were student protests in Rampura the day before he was shot on July 18. But he never imagined he would have to go through such a nightmare. “I never thought I would be shot six times.”
“My father is angry because we have never done anything wrong and never hurt anyone. And yet something so terrible happened to us, to me,” he said.
Amir’s aunt Nasima Begum told us that he was lucky because the bullets had pierced his legs and had not broken any bones. However, it will take three months before he can walk a little again. For now, the doctors have advised him to eat well and rest.
However, they have also told him that he can no longer work as he used to and especially cannot put weight on his right leg (it feels very weak, he said). He has also lost a lot of blood and has been on medication for three months.
“Who knows when he will be able to walk again?”
The student-led movement in Bangladesh that ultimately overthrew the Awami League government began around July. The first fatalities were reported on July 16, and more people were killed on July 18, 19 and 20. So far, the death toll stands at 626, and there are no exact figures on the number of injured.
The Ministry of Health estimates that around 500 people currently want to be treated in public and private hospitals.
When he heard of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5, he felt a little better. “The last government killed so many people and injured so many. I want justice, but I don’t want to file a lawsuit. That’s not for people like us. But I want justice.”
“It’s been a month since I last went outside, took a walk and saw the sunlight. I used to have nightmares about the incident, but not anymore. As soon as I can walk, I will visit the Famous Specialised Hospital and meet the people who rescued me and saved my life. The day they treated me, they didn’t charge me a single penny, I will never forget that,” he said.
The two brothers had worked hard for years and saved 50,000 to 60,000 taka for their sister’s wedding. But now most of the money has gone to Amir’s treatment.
Although that was not enough, his family received about 15,000 taka from two different sources. In fact, during our interview, we met a few students, including a senior politician, who had come to give him some financial help.
“I hope the government will help us by giving him a job or something else to earn a living. Who knows when he will be able to walk again?” said the aunt.
