Abdul Ahad, a four-year-old boy, was killed by a bullet during violent clashes in Dhaka’s Rayerbag area on July 19, 2024. According to his father, Abul Hasan, Ahad was watching the street unrest from their seventh-floor balcony when a bullet struck him in the right eye. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, placed on life support, and died the following evening, July 20. The child was later buried in their village home in Faridpur.

Abul Hasan, a government employee, has since moved from Rayerbag to a staff quarter in Mirpur, haunted by memories of his son. He told Amar Desh that he had dreams of making Ahad a Hafiz, like his elder son who studies at a madrasa. Hasan said a case was initially filed against unidentified persons but was later dismissed. Police informed him he could file a new case, but he fears retaliation from potential accused individuals.

He urged the government to take responsibility for finding and prosecuting those responsible for his son’s death.