Shoikot Chandra Dey Shumon (43), a resident of Rupshi Garments Lane in Shonir Akhra Bazar, Dhaka, was shot dead by police on July 20 last year while returning from a pharmacy with medicine for his ailing mother.
He was holding his mobile phone in one hand and his mother’s prescription and medicine in the other when a stray bullet from police firing on anti-discrimination student protesters pierced his chest, killing him instantly.
Originally from Uttar Upadi village in Matlab South, Chandpur, Shumon was the eldest of three brothers and one sister. His father, Dulal Chandra Das, was a high school teacher for disabled children, and his mother, Shikha Rani Das, passed away seven months after his death from grief.
A bright student, Shumon completed his SSC (1997), HSC (1999), and B.Com (2002) before working at Akij Group, Grameen Bank, Square Textiles, BRAC, and finally, as an accountant at Ananda Housing since 2016. To support his family, he tutored students on math and English in the evenings and personally taught his children – Dhruv (12) and Matrika (8).
His younger brother, Sujan Chandra Das (35), tearfully recalled, “He was more than a brother – a guardian who shielded us from hardship. On July 8, he warned me to stay away from protests.”
Shumon’s wife, Shopna Rani, described the tragedy: “He was bringing medicine when police opened fire. I found his body on the street. Police didn’t conduct an autopsy or file a GD.”
Left with only Tk250 after his death, she struggled until receiving Tk7 lakh from the July Martyr Foundation and political parties. Now in Rangpur with her children, she pleads for justice.
Their son, Dhruv, said, “Abba dreamed of making me a cricketer and my sister a doctor. We demand a fair investigation.”
Dr Sudarshan Pal, their village physician, noted, “The community mourned deeply – Shumon had tutored many here. His family was known for their peacefulness.”