The final whistle had blown at the Shaheed Captain M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium in Paltan. On the court, Bangladesh Police handball player Tanjima Akter had just fought hard against her opponents. Off the court, an even greater responsibility awaited her. As soon as the match ended, she rushed to take her 11-month-old son, Tawhidul Kabir, from her teammates’ arms and into her own.
Originally from Cumilla, Tanjima joined the police in 2017 and only began playing handball in 2020. Within a short span, she established herself as one of the team’s most important players. Her husband, Tanvir Ahmed, also a police officer and currently posted at 999, shoulders much of the responsibility of caring for their son when she trains or plays.
“Sometimes it is very difficult to leave my baby behind and go to play,” she admits. “But there is no other way one has to adjust.”
Tanjima’s comeback was not simple. She gave birth via caesarean section and, after maternity leave, was torn between the cries of her infant and her passion for handball. “Training itself is not difficult,” she says. “But when my child cries, it hurts. Since I work, I have to adjust.”
At tournaments she tries to breastfeed less, relying instead on relatives and teammates to keep Tawhid content. “He is a little restless and very playful with others,” she smiles. “But he knows all my teammates, so he stays happy with them.”
Her responsibilities extend beyond the handball court. As a police officer, she has served during political rallies, meetings and student movements. “When there is a lot of duty, we have to leave the game and report,” she explains. “All kinds of duty have to be done.” During the July protests, she was posted at the office rather than on the streets, but the demand remained.
Despite these challenges, Tanjima continues to play regularly in inter-force police competitions. The Bangladesh Police women’s handball team became national champions in 2017 and joint champions in the last edition. On 17 August, her side defeated Kushtia 27–11 in the 36th National Women’s Handball Competition.
So far, Tanjima has not been called up to the national side. Yet she holds on to a dream: “Like everyone else, I too want to play for Bangladesh. But I will only attend camp when my son is a bit older.”
