Kawsar Khandakar, a 22-year-old student, lies on the G-15 bed in the casualty ward of the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), more commonly known as Pongu Hospital.
His left leg is fully encased in plaster, and his right thigh is similarly bound, with four metal rods inserted to stabilise the fractures.
“A bullet pierced through the front of my leg and exited, taking flesh with it,” Kawsar recounts with resolve, adding, “The doctor says it will take time to heal.”
Despite the occasional sharp pain in his knee, Kawsar finds solace in the fact that Sheikh Hasina has been ousted.
He counts the days until he can stand on his legs again.
Kawsar, a first-year degree student at Betagi Government College in Barguna, arrived in Dhaka 12 days ago for employment.
However, what he found instead were government forces firing on protesting students and citizens, leaving many dead or maimed.
Driven by a sense of duty, Kawsar joined the demonstrations alongside students and people from all walks of life, demanding reforms to the government’s quota system in recruitment.
Amirul Islam, a 36-year-old CNG-run autorickshaw driver, lies on bed 25 in casualty ward 2. Photo: BFirst
On the evening of 19 July, while demonstrating in Dhaka's Rampura area, Kawsar was struck by a bullet, suffering a severe wound to his right leg.
“I joined the protests because I saw my brothers being killed and beaten—I couldn’t just sit idle,” Kawsar explains.
Kawsar’s story is far from unique.
Over the past month, more than 300 individuals with gunshot wounds have been admitted to NITOR.
While many have since recovered and been discharged, nearly 150 students and citizens remain hospitalised, facing an uncertain future.
Despite their injuries, many of these individuals express a sense of relief, knowing that the dictator has finally been overthrown and forced to flee the country.
A total of 304 students, teachers, and ordinary citizens were admitted to NITOR with bullet injuries. As of 17 August, 142 of them were still receiving treatment.
Among them is Amirul Islam, a 36-year-old CNG-run autorickshaw driver, who lies on bed 25 in casualty ward 2.
22-year-old student Kawsar Khandakar lies on the G-15 bed in the casualty ward of the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Photo: BFirst
On the morning of 16 July, Amirul joined the student protests, which continued for several days. However, on the fifth day, as law enforcement officers fired live bullets into the crowds in Shanir Akhra, Jatrabari, Amirul was struck.
“The police fired on us indiscriminately; many of us were hit, and I was injured by a bullet,” Amirul recalls.
The bullet shattered the bone in his right leg. Collapsing on the street, he was rushed by students to a nearby private hospital, which quickly referred him to NITOR.
Amirul has already undergone two operations on his leg, with doctors advising that a third will be necessary once the wound heals to prevent infection. His family is being supported financially by relatives and well-wishers, but despite the hardship, Amirul remains defiant.
“The Awami League government is gone—I won’t regret it even if I lose my leg,” he declares.
Another victim, Shafiqul Islam, a 21-year-old who worked in decorative outdoor lighting in the Nawabpur area of Dhaka, was caught in the crossfire near Kadamtali Police Station on the evening of 19 July.
He was standing beside an ambulance where the father of a friend had just died from a bullet wound when he too was struck.
Shafiqul now faces an uncertain recovery, with no clear timeline for his release from the hospital.
