Abu Sayed (; 2 March 1999 – 16 July 2024) was a Bangladeshi student activist who was shot dead by the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

on 16 July 2024, while participating in the 2024 quota reform movement. Sayed was a student of

Begum Rokeya University Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur () (abbreviated as BRUR), formerly Rangpur University, is a public research university in Rangpur, Bangladesh. Founded in 2008, it is the only generally categorized university in Rangpur Division and the second ...

and was involved in the protest in front of the university when the police engaged in lathi charges and opened fire on the students.

Early life

Abu Sayed grew up in Babanpur village of Pirganj Upazila of

Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...

(then part of

Rajshahi Division Rajshahi Division () is one of the eight first-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population at the 2022 Census of 20,353,119. Rajshahi Division consists of 8 districts, 70 upazilas (the next lower administrat ...

). His father is Maqbul Hossain and his mother is Monowara Begum. He was the youngest of a family of six brothers and three sisters. He won a talent pool scholarship from the local Jafor Para Government Primary School in the fifth grade. Later, he passed SSC with a Golden GPA-5 from Khalashpir Bilateral High School. After completing SSC, he received a scholarship from the Babylon Group, called the Babylon Scholarship Program, to complete his college education. Then he passed HSC from

Rangpur Government College Rangpur Government College is a public educational institution in Rangpur, Bangladesh, Rangpur, Bangladesh. It was established on July 25, 1963. It is situated in Radaballav, within one kilometer from the town center. Currently, the college offer ...

with a GPA-5. Later, he was admitted to the English department at

as a member of the 12th batch of students.

Activism

Abu Sayed was an activist of the quota reform movements of

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. After the new quota reform movement began on 6 June 2024, he became involved as the coordinator of the

Students Against Discrimination Students Against Discrimination () is a platform of Student activism, student activists in Bangladesh formed in 2024 during the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement, nationwide student-led quota reform movement. The group was involved in the R ...

at Rangpur Begum Rokeya University. Abu Sayed published a

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

post on 15 July 2024, referring to Mohammad Shamsuzzoha, a martyr in the

1969 East Pakistan mass uprising The 1969 East Pakistan mass uprising () was a democratic political uprising in East Pakistan. It was led by the students backed by various political parties such as the Awami League, National Awami Party, and Communist party of East Pakistan and ...

Death and legacy

On 16 July, between 2:30 and 3:00 pm, quota reform protesters and police clashed in front of Begum Rokeya University. Police fired tear gas and baton-charged to disperse protesting students. Most of the students left while Abu Sayed remained. The police were firing rubber bullets from the opposite direction. Abu Sayed was subsequently shot four times by a police officer. He died before being taken to hospital at 3:05 pm ( BST). Later on 28 October 2024, the

authorities temporarily suspended two teachers and seven staff members in connection with their involvement in the killing of Abu Sayed. Poet Shahidullah Faraji honored Abu Sayed by composing the poem ''বীর আবু সাঈদ'' (), in which he hailed Abu Sayed as the "hero of the generation." In tribute to his legacy, the Rangpur Park intersection was renamed "''Shaheed Abu Sayed Chatwar''" by students in his honor. Graffiti Depicting Gen Z Revolution at Kazir Dewri Circle

Graffiti Depicting Gen Z Revolution at Kazir Dewri Circle

On August 7, 2024,

Shafiqur Rahman Shafiqur Rahman (; born 31 October 1958) is a Bangladeshi politician who is the current Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Early life Rahman was born on 31 October 1958 in Bhatera Union under Kulaura Upazila of Moulvibazar District. His ...

Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh. The origin of the party can be traced back to the original faction founded by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi in 1941. The predecessor of Jamaat which is known as Jam ...

, visited Abu Sayed's grave in

to pay his respects. Following the exile of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the dissolution of her cabinet amid national uprising, interim Chief Adviser

Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, entrepreneur, and civil society leader who has been serving as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Chief Adviser of the Interim government of Muhammad Yunus, interim Yunus ministry, g ...

expressed that Abu Sayed's memory remained "in every person's heart in Bangladesh." Yunus also paid his respects at Abu Sayed’s grave on August 10. The Chairman of the

National Board of Revenue The National Board of Revenue (NBR; ) is the central authority for tax administration in Bangladesh. It is a statutory authority attached with the Internal Resources Division of the Ministry of Finance. The NBR collects almost 97% of tax revenue ...

, Md Abdur Rahman Khan, went on to refer to Abu Sayed as "

Bir Sreshtho The Bir Sreshtho (; ), is the highest military award of Bangladesh. It was awarded to seven freedom fighters who showed utmost bravery and died in action for their nation. They are considered martyrs. The other three gallantry awards are named, ...

" during a discussion at the NBR’s Multipurpose Hall in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Gallery

File:Death Certificate of Abu Sayed.jpg, Death certificate of Abu Sayed File:Abu Saeed was standing in front of the gun just before his murder..jpg, A painting of Abu Sayed being shot File:Abu Sayed holding flag.png, A graffiti of Abu Sayed File:Abu Sayeed Death.png, A graffiti of Abu Sayed's dying posture

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Sayed 2024 deaths People of the July Revolution (Bangladesh) Bangladeshi activists People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Bangladesh Protest-related deaths People from Pirganj Upazila, Rangpur Coordinators of Anti-discrimination Students Movement Rangpur Government College alumni 1999 births