Staff Reporter :
Abdullah Al Faruque, a resident of Alipur village in Satkhira Sadar Upazila, is fighting for his life after losing an eye and suffering multiple severe injuries during the July 2024 Uprising.
He lost his right eye and sustained critical wounds when he was brutally attacked by Awami League (AL) members on the night of August 5, 2024, while returning home from a victory procession following Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the country amidst the student-led uprising.
The 48-year-old businessman is enduring unbearable pain despite extensive medical treatment and remains in a critical condition.
Faruque, the father of two daughters, is the third son of 80-year-old cancer patient Golam Sarwar and 65-year-old
Salima Khatun, among their six children. His elder daughter, Fariya Akter, is studying Computer Engineering at Hamburg University in Germany, while his younger daughter, Fahmida Akter, is completing her final year at Khulna Mangrove Polytechnic College. His wife, Mahmuda Akter Lipi, is a homemaker.
Recalling the harrowing attack, Faruque shared that he was ambushed near Bakal Checkpost at night while returning home after the victory rally in the district town.
“I joined the victory procession in the afternoon after Sheikh Hasina fled in the face of the anti-discrimination student movement at noon on August 5. That night, as I was heading home, 11 Awami League assailants, led by Alipur Union Awami League Secretary Zia, blocked my way,” he recounted.
“They stabbed me multiple times-on my head, forehead, neck, back, and right eye-causing severe injuries. They slashed my right eye, and I lost consciousness on the spot,” he added.
Passersby who witnessed the attack informed his family, who rushed him to Satkhira Medical College Hospital. He was later transferred to Khulna Medical College Hospital, but as his condition worsened, he was shifted to Popular Medical College Hospital in Dhaka on August 6.
“I was in the ICU there for a week, completely unconscious. I only regained consciousness after eight days and had to remain under treatment for nearly a month,” Faruque recalled.
“By the grace of Almighty Allah, I survived. Given the level of brutality I endured, I was not expected to be alive,” he said, as his voice trembling with emotion.
Despite surviving the attack, he continues to suffer immense pain and struggles with mobility.
“I have only one eye left. Life has become extremely difficult for me,” he lamented.
Expressing his financial struggles, he said his medical expenses drained all his savings.
“I used to run a wholesale vegetable shop in Sultanpur Market and a small shop at home. But I have spent everything for my treatment,” he shared tearfully.
“I have nothing left. On top of that, my father is battling lung cancer. Our family is in dire straits,” he added.
Faruque’s mother, Salima Khatun, broke down while recalling the state her son was in after the attack.
“I wasn’t allowed to see him in the hospital because my family feared I wouldn’t be able to bear the shock of his condition. They only assured me that he was alive, but as a mother, I could feel his suffering,” she wept.
She tearfully recalled how she prayed for her son’s survival. “It was only Allah’s boundless mercy that brought my son back to me,” she cried.
His father, Golam Sarwar, struggling with his own illness, tried to approach the correspondent but was too overwhelmed with emotion to speak. Silent tears were his only response.
Faruque’s wife, Mahmuda Akter Lipi, voiced her despair.
“Our lives have become unbearable. Our daughters’ education is now uncertain because we have spent everything for my husband’s treatment,” she said.
Lipi further said that neither the government nor any private organizations extended support to them.
She pleaded for justice and assistance for her husband.
“Those who tried to kill my husband must be held accountable,” she urged.
