The bond with the Bangladesh Army ran deep in the family of Titas Sheikh. Hailing from Nagarkanda in Faridpur, his father is a retired army person, his younger brother serves in the army, and Titas himself was a member of the armed forces.
The 28-year-old soldier lost his life after being shot by criminals in Teknaf, leaving his entire family stunned with grief.
The atmosphere at his home in Laskardia village under Nagarkanda upazila grew heavy on Friday morning, 6 November, as his mother, Rekha Begum, wept inconsolably for her eldest son.
His wife, Sumaiya Akter, was rendered speechless by grief, while his father, Afzal Sheikh, sat in silent anguish with tears streaming down his face.
The eldest among two brothers and one sister, Titas Sheikh served in the 1 Veer unit of the Bangladesh Army and was stationed at the Rangikhali Army Camp in Teknaf.
Unfulfilled dreams
Titas Sheikh joined the Bangladesh Army as a soldier in 2017. Four years ago, he married Sumaiya Akter from a neighbouring village, though the couple had no children during their four years of marriage.
He had planned to take his wife to his workplace in December, a dream that now remains unfulfilled. Weeping repeatedly over the loss of her husband, Sumaiya Akter cried out, “Take me with you too, how will I live! I have no existence left! O Allah, what will I do now!”.
A mother’s last conversation
His mother, Rekha Begum, recounted that her last conversation with her son took place on Wednesday night. She recalled him saying, “Thursday afternoon, I will go on an operation against terrorists, pray for me, Mother.”
She added that she could never have imagined those would be his final words to her. She has been weeping continuously since receiving the news of her son’s death.
According to sources at the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Titas Sheikh was shot on the left side of his chest by hill terrorists around 4:30pm on Thursday during a joint forces operation against a human trafficking ring in Teknaf.
He received initial treatment at Leda IRC Rohingya Hospital before being moved in a civilian ambulance to Ramu Combined Military Hospital (CMH) as his condition deteriorated.
The attending doctor at the emergency department declared him dead at 8:48pm while he was undergoing treatment.
Burial with state honours
As news of his death spread, a pall of gloom descended upon his family, relatives, and local residents. His body was kept at Ramu CMH, where his younger brother, Akram Hossain, an army member, went to collect his remains.
Rezwana Afrin, upazila nirbahi officer of Nagarkanda, said military authorities informed that following army formalities, the body would arrive by helicopter in the afternoon.
She added that the army would accord him full state honours with a guard of honour at his village home by 4pm, after which the burial would take place according to the family’s decision.
