After 16 years of trying, Sumon Mia’s wife gave birth to twins. But their father is no longer alive to see them

The candidate for Raipura vice chairman was severely beaten while campaigning and eventually died of his wounds

Sumon Mia and Sazia Afrin Liza from Narsingdi’s Raipura had been married for 16 years.

After fertility treatment at home and abroad, Liza gave birth to twin daughters through a C-section operation at a Dhaka hospital on Thursday. Unfortunately, Sumon was not there for the moment his daughters for born.

A candidate for the vice chairman post in the Raipura Upazila Parishad election, Sumon was killed eight days ago in an attack by supporters of a rival candidate while campaigning.

Sumon was the son of Hazi Nasiruddin, the chairman of the Charsubuddhi Union Parishad and president of the local Awami League unit. Sumon served as joint general secretary of the Narsingdi Govt College Chhatra League.

“My granddaughters and daughter-in-law are keeping well. My granddaughters are very pretty. But the saddest thing is that my son couldn’t see his children before he died. The assailants removed him from this world early,” Sumon’s father Haji Nasiruddin said.

“Vying for the vice chairman post became a curse. These two innocent children became orphans before they could even meet their father. No one would have been happier than Sumon to see them.”

On May 22, Sumon, who ran under the padlock symbol, went to Paratali Union in Raipura Upazila to campaign. His opponent Abid Hasan Rubel, a candidate running under the eyeglasses symbol, also went to the same union on the same day.

The supporters of both candidates confronted each other around 12:30pm near Salimbari in Mamderkandi village and grew aggressive. Rubel’s supporters vandalised Sumon’s car. The two groups then chased and counter-chased each other.

At one point, Sumon tried to flee the car but was severely beaten. His supporters rescued him and rushed him to the Bashgari Police Outpost, situated 5km away from the scene. Under police protection, they took Sumon to the Upazila Health Complex at 6:30pm. There, the doctor on duty declared him dead.

Following his death, the Election Commission halted the Raipura Upazila Parishad polls. Three days after his death, Sumon’s father filed a murder case naming 26 suspects. As of now, police have arrested four of them.

Two cases were filed over the killing of Sumon Mia, said Sub-Inspector Abdul Halim of Raipura Police Station. Police are working to arrest other suspects, he said.