Stars mourn Opratim’s brutal death
An iPhone, some nature photos and a 13-year-old boy’s little hobby – Friday afternoon was supposed to be like any other day.
Seventh grade student Ishayat Shahriar Opratim of Border Guard Public School left home to take nature photos with his mother’s iPhone. But that trip turned out to be the last journey of his life.
Opratim’s frozen body was recovered from a forest in Lalmai Hills adjacent to Comilla University on Saturday afternoon, about 21 hours after he went missing.
The death of Opratim, the son of Dr Nahida Begum, an associate professor in the Bangla Department at Comilla University, has cast a shadow of grief over the family.
At the same time, some stars from the showbiz arena have expressed their shock, grief and anger over the incident.
Popular film actor Siam Ahmed wrote on Facebook, “I can’t stand looking at Opratim’s picture for long.
Since becoming a father, whenever I see such news about a child, my own child’s face comes to mind again and again. A child left home in the afternoon to take pictures.
That child never returned home. I don’t know if there can be any more terrifying waiting or news for a parent than this. It is not possible to express the pain of Opratim’s parents and family members at this moment in words.
My deepest condolences to them. Let the correct answer to what happened, why it happened, come to the fore through an investigation. Let the truth not be suppressed in any way. Justice must be ensured with the utmost honesty.”
Addressing Opratim, Siam also wrote, “Opratim, you were never supposed to leave like this. As a father, all I can think of today is that we all have a responsibility to create a safer world for our children.”
Popular small screen actor Tawsif Mahbub also questioned people’s attitude towards mobile phones in the wake of Opratim’s death. He wrote, “We have glorified the iPhone so much that it has become more valuable than a life. The fault is ours.”
Dhallywood actress Puja Cherry Roy expressed deep grief. In a Facebook post, she wrote, “I am truly deeply saddened to hear the news of Opratim’s tragic death.
A mother’s only child, a family’s dream – will fall prematurely like this; this is unacceptable in any way. Such a death of a child leaves a deep mark of grief not only in the family but in the hearts of all of us.
My deepest condolences and prayers go out to the family of Opratim. May God give his family the strength to bear this irreparable loss.”
Demanding a fair investigation and trial of the incident, Puja also wrote, “May the truth come out through a proper investigation of this incident and may those responsible be brought to justice – this is the hope. Opratim, may you rest in peace. Endless love and prayers for you.”
TV and OTT actor Irfan Sajjad expressed his grief as well as anger over Opratim’s death. He wrote on Facebook, “Oh my child! As a Bangladeshi, the biggest dream should be to leave Bangladesh.
Those who have already left, have escaped this cursed country.” He further wrote, “Everyone dreams of a golden Bangladesh, but no one can build a minimum safe Bangladesh.
And a country where justice is not done despite direct evidence, that country will not be safe in life either. If you have the ability and the opportunity, leave this country.
So that your child doesn’t have to leave home on a lazy Friday afternoon and come back a corpse.”
Showbiz stars have reacted to Opratim’s death with deep grief on one hand, while on the other hand, there have been demands to ensure a safe environment for children and a fair investigation into the incident.
Along with Opratim’s family, the general public is now waiting for an investigation to uncover the real cause of the incident and bring those responsible to justice.
