The days of shooting was over for journalist Tahir Zaman Priyo鈥檚 camera on July 19 when a bullet pierced its owner鈥檚 head at a demonstration against Sheikh Hasina and her government near the Central Road in the capital.
The 27-year old multimedia journalist was among the thousands of people who expressed solidarity with the students鈥� demand for quota system reforms in civil service jobs and took to the streets, protesting against Awami League government鈥檚 excessive use of force to contain the movement.
Priyo鈥檚 friend Syeda Nilima Dola, who was with him on July 19, recalled that she along with Priyo and some other friends went to join a protest in front of the National Parliament building.
鈥楶olice did not allow us to hold the programme there and we decided to join a protest in Science Laboratory area instead,鈥� said Dola, describing that suddenly fire was opened when they reached the Central Road area.
They were utterly baffled in the sudden indiscriminate firing and before deciding what to do, or where to go, Priyo received the bullet in his head and fell down on the road. His friends could not rescue him from there in that heavy firing and later informed his mother Samsi Ara Zaman Koli living in Rangpur of the situation. They also told the mother that they did not find him after the situation had calmed.
Being informed, Koli鈥檚 family friend Zuena Ferdous Mitul along with Priyo鈥檚 friends searched nearby police stations and hospitals and later identified his body at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital mortuary a day after the shooting.
Koli, on September 3, remembered her son as a kind-hearted and humane person who always stood beside people against any kind of repression.
It was not the first movement for him to join. Priyo actively participated in the previous quota movement, road safety movement, Shahbagh protests against war crimes and many others. He was also vocal about the rights of the national minority people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and transgender community, said the mother in her loving remembrance.
鈥楥inematography was his passion. He took admission to Pathshala [an institute for photography, television and film studies] after his intermediate [higher secondary] examination. He loved reading books, writing poems, doing paintings and watching films. He wanted to make films,鈥� said Koli, who is a cancer patient and runs a boutique business named Shuchisaili Handicraft.
Struggling with cancer, Koli has not been left with much strength to run her boutique strongly, but her energy was drawn from her son鈥檚 constant inspiration to continue the work.
鈥楶riyo used to say, 鈥淵ou have to take care of my daughter,鈥欌�� recalled Koli.
After divorce with his wife, their daughter, now four years old, became Koli鈥檚 major responsibility. The grandma fondly mentioned Priyo used to call his daughter Sadira Zaman as 鈥楶admapriyo Paromita鈥�.
鈥楽he is too little to realise what her father鈥檚 death actually means. Nowadays, she only asks, 鈥淔ather died?鈥� I don鈥檛 know what answer I should give to the child,鈥� said Koli.
She filed a case with the New Market police on August 20 over her son鈥檚 killing in the movement.
The student movement for quota reforms eventually turned to become a student-led mass uprising bringing the downfall of the Hasina government, forcing her to resign and flee to India on August 5.
More than 1,000 people were killed during the movement, according to interim government鈥檚 health adviser Nurjahan Begum.聽聽
