The father went to save his son from the attack by the gang of unruly youths
Published : 12 Apr 2024, 06:53 PM
Ali Reza, a student who recently passed Fazil exams from a madrasa, left home to buy Iftar in the Feroz Shah Colony area of Chattogram on Apr 5. His father Korban Ali, a dentist, also came out to save Reza from a gang of unruly youths.
The young men hit Korban in the head with a stone, leaving him critically injured. He died in hospital care early morning on Wednesday, a day before Eid-ul-Fitr.
“We, the two brothers, never went anywhere without Baba after offering Eid prayers together. He is no more. It feels like we’ve lost the roof over our heads. You tell me, how can we be well?” Reza said when asked how they were a day after the Eid.
“We always spent our Eid at home in the city. This time we took him to our village home. How can we leave him here? Is there any happiness in the home without a father?” he said.
Korban was buried at Satghoria in Sandwip on Wednesday night. He was the only breadwinner of the family as Reza’s elder brother is looking for a job after studying textile engineering. Their sister reads in a school. Korban was ill for the last three years after his wife caught a brain tumour.
“My father never caused harm to anyone. He helped the poor with free treatment. We didn;t imagine so many people to turn up at his funeral prayer,” Raza said.
According to Reza, the youth gang attacked him because he stopped them from beating up a schoolboy in their neighbourhood by calling police via the 999 national helpline two months ago.
The attackers were followers of Golam Rasul Nishan, a former leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League at Chattogram University. After police detained one of the assailants during the attack on the schoolboy on Feb 6, Nishan went to Reza’s home and threatened him.
Police have arrested three people in a case started by Reza over the death of Korban. Reza named 12 people in the case.
“We’re in panic as big fishes are involved with the attackers,” said Reza.
Krishna Pada Roy, commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said they were working to arrest the rest of the attackers by analysing CCTV footage of the incident.
“Everyone involved in the incident, irrespective of their age, will be brought to justice,” he said.