When will bhaiya come home?

Sheikh Mumtahina Binte Matin, 8, is yet to realise that her older brother, Sheikh Shahriar Bin Matin, 18, is no more.
Shahriar was shot dead during a protest where students were demanding for quota reform in Dhaka’s Mirpur-10 area on July 18.
“Every day, my daughter wears a jersey that belonged to Shahriar and keeps asking when will bhaiya come home?” said their father Sheikh Abdul Matin.
“On that day, around 5:00pm, Shahriar and his cousin were with other protesters during a demonstration near Mirpur-10 intersection when police and Chhatra League activists fired at them. A bullet pierced through Shahriar’s right eye,” said Matin.
“He was rushed to a nearby hospital and later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he remained on life support until doctors declared him dead on July 20,” he added.
Shahriar, who lived with his parents and sister in Dhaka’s Kuril area, was appearing for HSC exams from Ishwarganj Ideal College in Mymensingh, his hometown.
His father informed The Daily Star that Shahriar had returned to Dhaka after attending five exams, as the educational institutions were closed and HSC exams were postponed amid the students’ protests.
“On July 18, he went to his cousin’s home in Mirpur. I was at our village home in Kumra Shashon, Iswarganj. On the day, I received a call in the evening and came to learn that he had been shot. I somehow managed to return to Dhaka facing numerous obstacles on the way, only to find my son in a coma, before he eventually left us,” Matin said.
Shahriar’s mother, Momtaz Begum, has been overwhelmed by grief since his death, while his 70-year-old grandmother has fallen ill. The family is currently living in their village home and it is uncertain when they would return to Dhaka.
Matin also said it was traumatic to recount the demise of his son every time a journalist would call him over the phone.
“They did not let my son grow up. His photos and videos are our only keepsakes now. I want justice, but I don’t know who we will ask to deliver it,” Matin added.