Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah visited a private hospital on Friday to stand beside 12-year-old Reshmi Akter, who is fighting for her life under life support.
The girl was caught in a crossfire during a shooting in Chattogram’s Shaheed Minar Lane area under Bayezid Police Station on Thursday night. Witnesses reported that at approximately 9:50pm, five to six masked assailants opened fire on a young man named Hasan.
Hasan was killed on the spot, while Reshmi, an innocent passer-by who had stepped out to buy betel leaf for her family, was struck by a bullet. She was initially taken to a private hospital, where her condition deteriorated, and doctors placed her on life support.
Accompanied by ADC Syed Mahbubul Haque, the DC reviewed Reshmi’s CT scan reports and spoke at length with her physicians.
The medical team informed him that the bullet had entered through her eye, causing extensive brain injuries and leaving her in critical condition. Speaking to journalists, Zahidul Islam described the incident as heartbreaking and a sign of deteriorating law and order.
“No act of terrorism or armed violence will be tolerated,” he said, adding that law enforcement and intelligence units are already working to identify and arrest the perpetrators. He reiterated the administration’s tough stance, comparing the upcoming action to operations in Jangal Salimpur, which was once a safe haven for criminals.
Highlighting the family’s severe financial hardship, the DC arranged immediate financial assistance from the district administration. Reshmi’s father, Md Riaz Ahmed, is physically disabled and supports his five children by selling vegetables and betel leaf.
The DC assured that further support would continue.
When the girl’s condition worsened, the DC personally coordinated her transfer to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH). He called the hospital’s director, Brig Gen Mohammad Taslim Uddin, to request immediate ICU admission and emergency surgical support.
Reshmi ’s brother, Ejaz Hossain, expressed deep gratitude for the DC’s involvement.
