Family’s struggle to bury a loved one

“Please help! We need money to send this body to his village for funeral. Donate whatever you can.”
There lied the body of Jashim Uddin, 32, on a khatia (wooden platform), covered in a white cloth.
The appeal for help came from his uncle Kala Miah, a street vendor.
These correspondents spotted him in front of a mosque in Sipahibag Bazar area of Khilgaon on Friday evening.
Jashim died when BGB and police, opened fire at protesters in Banasree area around 5:00pm on that day, claimed locals.
They brought the body to a nearby hospital where Kala Miah identified him. The body was handed over to Kala Miah without an autopsy at 7:00pm.
From there, he brought the body to Sipahibag and started collecting funds.
“Look, I am a street vendor, so was my nephew. He used to sell chanachur (a traditional spicy snack). We were already in a tight spot due to rising costs of essentials. On top of that, we didn’t earn any money due to violence for the last three days,” said Kala Miah.
“His [Jashim’s] family lives in Sarail of Brahmanbaria. We need to send the body back home. But I don’t have any money. So, I am collecting funds,” he told these correspondents.
People, from all backgrounds and ages, were seen chipping in, donating five-taka coins or ten-taka notes, up to over Tk 1,000.
Within an hour, Kala Miah managed to collect Tk 60,000 with the help of locals.
He didn’t waste any time. He hired a microbus and left Dhaka with the lifeless body of his nephew.
Before leaving, he said, “Jashim has five children — four daughters and a physically challenged son. All of them are aged between one and 12. What will happen to them?”
Jashim was sick for the last two days and couldn’t earn a single penny as the whole area remained a warzone during the movement.
He was suffering from fever for a week. So, he couldn’t venture out to sell chanachur. As a result, he did not earn much.
Just when his physical condition was improving, he saw Banasree, Rampura, and his other usual places of business turn into a battlefield as armed law enforcers fired tear shells, sound grenades and shotgun pellets to disperse protesters, said his neighbour Ruma Begum.
The situation persisted for three days and took a turn for the worse after Juma prayers on Friday when BGB fired live bullets to stop protesters from marching towards the BTV area.
The violence spread to Banasree as Rab helicopters patrolled over the area and fired tear shells and sound grenades on the ground.
“Due to his financial situation, Jashim was getting increasingly restless. He left his home around evening,” said Ruma.
Before leaving, he shared peanuts with me and other neighbours, and left with a smile.
“I will be back soon,” Ruma quoted Jashim as saying.
“Never have we thought that he will return in white cloth, lying in a poll of blood,” Ruma cried.
Yesterday morning, this newspaper contacted Kala Miah again. He said they managed to reach Brahmanbaria amid the curfew.
Some of the money was spent at the funeral, while the remaining were given to his family members.