BSS :
Bullet-hit van cart puller Omar Faruk, 35, who even three months ago was working hard as the sole earner of his family, is now under the grip of extreme financial hardship.
“All my dreams were shattered when a bullet shot by police pierced my body during the anti-discrimination student movement on July 18,” said injured Omar, who had to undergo a complicated surgery and somehow returned from the brink of death.
Omar, the second among four brothers and two sisters in the family, hailed from Sheikhpara village in Ward No. 31 of Rangpur City Corporation, lives at his father-in-law’s house in the same village.
Before the tragedy struck his life, Omar supported his family of 11 by selling Napier grass every day, from rural areas to Rangpur city, in his van cart.
While giving an exclusive interview to BSS, Omar described the tragic incident of the day and said unable to bear the treatment costs, his family fell into extreme poverty.
Omar now passes difficult days on bed with physical pain due to complex surgery and having a colostomy bag attached to his body externally to artificially release stool until the next surgery.
He will have to undergo another major surgery at Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH) four months later, with a hope to recover fully and support his family.
Omar lives in his in-laws house with his father Khalilur Rahman, 60, wife Zohra Begum, 27, and two minor children.
Day-labourer father-in-law Joydul Islam, 55, with his son Russel, 22, and daughter Pervin Begum, 36, with her two children also live in the joint family.
“Earlier, my day-labourer father supported the family of 11 working as a laborer. But, due to old age, he is unable to walk and work now,” Omar said.
In an emotion-choked voice, Omar said the incident has shattered his life and he don’t have any money to support his family.
“Earlier, my day-laborer father-in-law Joydul Islam earned by selling labor to support our joint family, but he can’t earn now as he has almost no work in crop fields,” he said.
Omar said that after the martyrdom of Shaheed Abu Sayeed at Begum Rokeya University on July 16, when the anti-discrimination student movement reached its peak, he went out with his van cart like every other day on July 18.
“But in the afternoon while repairing my van cart at the maker’s shop at Fatema Cold Storage adjacent to Modern Mour area in the city, I got shot by police,” he said.
“I could feel that the bullet entered through my belly and exited through the backside. As I was bleeding profusely I feel down on the floor. I can’t remember anything else,” he said.
“After regaining consciousness I found myself in the RpMCH surgery ward,” he said, adding that he saw many other wounded people, who were also injured in police firing, undergoing treatment there
“Later, I came to know that Associate Professor of the Department of Surgery at RpMCH Dr Md Abdul Baset, other doctors, students, nurses and employees extended their full cooperation and performed a complicated surgery to save my life,” he said
Omar said he still remembers the sweet moments of meeting Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Mohammad Yunus when he came to RpMCH on August 10. The Chief Adviser talked to his doctor Dr Md Abdul Baset and enquired about his health conditions.
However, Omar lamented with sorrow that he had to sell all his possessions and borrow money for his treatment.
Talking to BSS, RpMCH Associate Professor Dr Md Abdul Baset narrated about the health condition and next surgery of Omar.
He said that if Omar was brought to the hospital more than an hour later, it would not have been possible to save him due to excessive bleeding.