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Published : 12 Dec 2025, 02:53 PM
Koelhat Purbapara in Rajshahi's Pachander Union has been stunned by grief since Thursday night. The air hangs heavy with sharp sorrow ever since the local mosque announced that 2-year-old Sajid, the son of local Rakib Uddin, had died.
From Friday morning, people clad in Punjabis, white skull caps or light winterwear started streaming to Sajid’s home along the village roads.
In the morning, thousands gathered at the large empty ground near the Nekkiri Graveyard. From schoolgoers to the elderly, everyone had tears welling in their eyes.
Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the innocent face that had been all smiles only a few days ago. Now, there is only silence.
The little body, wrapped in a white shroud, was brought to the ground around 10:30am. The sounds of crying spread through the crowd.
Sajid’s mother Runa Khatun screamed and lamented. She tried running to her son’s body. Her family held her back. But they could not stop the heart-rending cries that tore through the air.
Eventually, Kazi Maulana Mizanur Rahman led the funeral prayers for Sajid. A thousand pair of hands rose to the sky together in prayer for the departed child.
After the funeral prayer, Sajid was laid to rest at 10:40am at Nekkiri Graveyard.
The entire village fell silent when the child’s body was carried towards the grave. Only the sounds of his nearest and dearest could be heard. Villagers said they have never seen so many people taking part in a child’s funeral.
Sajid slipped into the borehole of a deep tube well around 1:30pm on Wednesday while walking behind his mother near a paddy field beside their home.
His mother Runa said, “I was walking to the field with both of my children to collect paddy straw. I put Sajid down from my arms. He was following me. When I looked back, he wasn’t there. Then I heard him calling ‘Ma, Ma’ from inside the hole.”
When the incident was reported, local authorities and the Fire Service immediately launched a coordinated rescue operation.
After 32 hours of effort, which involved digging the ground with an excavator and creating a tunnel next to the well, Sajid was retrieved.
He was rushed to the Tanore Upazila Health Complex while unconscious. There, at 9:40pm, the doctor-on-duty declared him dead.
Journalists met Sajid’s father Rakib Uddin following his funeral. He said, “I want justice against the people whose negligence caused this to happen to my innocent, two-year-old child.”
When asked if he would file a case, he said: “I will follow whatever decision everyone comes to.”
