A dream remains unfulfilled — the humble tin-shed mosque that Ikramul Haque Sajid built with his tuition earnings still stands unpaved, a silent witness to the promise he never lived to keep.
Sajid, a Jagannath University student, was martyred in the anti-discrimination student movement. Yet in his native village of Bilkukari in Dhanbari upazila, the mosque he loved and maintained remains untouched — a dream paused by tragedy.
He paid the mosque Imam’s salary from his tuition income, had hoped to pave the mosque once he completed his studies and secured a good job. But on 4 August 2024, his life was cut short when he was shot during a clash between protesters and law enforcement near Sahali Plaza in Dhaka’s Mirpur.
A police bullet struck his right eye and exited through the back of his head. He was rushed to the Combined Military Hospital and fought for life for ten days before dying on 14 August, 2024.
His janaza was held the following morning at his village mosque, which stands beside the family graveyard where he now rests. That same mosque was Sajid’s labour of love — built with his own money, humble in structure, but central to his dreams.
To honour his memory, the Tangail district administration named the road from Nalla Bazar to Kadamtali after him, following a petition by villagers and family members. It is the path Sajid often walked — now carrying his name as a reminder of his sacrifice.
Sajid’s mother, Nazma Khatun Lipi, still remembers the morning of his final protest. “He prayed Zuhr at the mosque, ate, and got ready. I told him to offer two rakats Nafl before leaving. He did, and then I blew Ayatul Kursi on him,” she recalled tearfully. “He said, ‘Maa, pray for me. Nothing will happen to me.’ Those were his last words to me.”
His father, Ziaul Haque, an Air Force officer, said, “Sajid was a brilliant student. The police took his life. I want justice for my son.”
Sajid was in the final semester of his Master’s in Accounting and Information Systems at Jagannath University. His elder sister, Farzana Haque, still mourns the unanswered call she made to him at 5pm that day. “The phone was off. Then a friend called saying Sajid had been shot. We rushed to the CMH, but he was gone,” she said.
A murder case was later filed at Kafrul police station accusing 73 individuals.
Sajid’s uncle Akbar Ali said, “The mosque Sajid built from his tuition money still stands as it was. He wanted to pave it. He also wanted to serve the poor in our area. But he didn’t get that time. May Allah accept him as a martyr.”
Dhanbari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Abu Sayeed described Sajid as “the fearless, heroic son of Dhanbari.” He said, “We didn’t want to lose him like this. But we honour him. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Though Sajid’s dream of paving the mosque remains unfulfilled, the road that now bears his name stands as a symbol of courage, sacrifice, and a life dedicated to justice.