Sumaiya was shot by bullet piercing thru balcony as she gazed at helicopters hovering above
She came to stay at her mother’s house, where she met the tragic end of her life
Sumaiya Akhter stepped onto her balcony, leaving her two-month-old daughter asleep inside, to see a helicopter hovering in the sky during the violence centring quota protests.
Not only Sumaiya but the people from all the surrounding buildings were also on their roofs and balconies, their eyes fixed on the sky in the afternoon on 20 July. A bullet tore through the balcony grill of their sixth-floor apartment, striking Sumaiya in the head. The young mother died instantly.
Sumaiya, 20, hailed from a village in Mehendiganj police station area of Barishal. Her father, Salim Matbar, passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following his death, her mother, Asma Begum, and her siblings relocated to Siddhirganj in Narayanganj, where they have been residing for the past three years.
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Sumaiya got married two and a half years ago. Her husband works in a local factory. They welcomed a baby girl on 12 May this year. She came to stay at her mother's house, where she met the tragic end of her life.
The house is located about half a kilometre from the highway. Many people in the neighbourhood are puzzled as to how a flat's balcony, so distant from the highway, was shot at.
Locals said the shots were fired from a helicopter, with bullet marks found on the roofs and balconies of several houses.
Sumaiya's mother Asma Begum recounted the incident. "On the day of the tragedy, after the Asr prayer, Sumaiya had left her daughter asleep and stepped onto the balcony. I was seated behind her. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and Sumaiya collapsed onto the floor.
Initially, I thought my daughter was suffering from a medical issue, but when I reached her, I saw blood pouring from Sumaiya's head."
She was then taken to a local hospital where on-duty doctors declared her dead.
"After losing my husband, I moved from the village to the town in search of a better life. Tragically, in that very town, my daughter was shot dead. Even inside our own home, she was not safe," Asma lamented.
When questioned about seeking justice for her daughter's death, she replied, "I don't want justice. Allah sees all. We just want our lives to return to normal."
