When Sejad Hasan was born, his father was in jail. Nine months of his life passed without the affection of his father. Perhaps, his mother, Kaniz Suborna, hoped that one day the father of her child would return from prison, embrace their son, kiss his forehead, and teach him to walk. But perhaps Suborna, overwhelmed by the vindictiveness of our politics and the inhuman state machinery, sought release from the pains of the world by taking the life of her young Sejad and then her own.

But can Jewel Hasan Saddam, whom she left behind, forgive himself? Can this state heal the wounds that have accumulated within Jewel's heart?

After the lifeless bodies of 22-year-old Kaniz Suborna and her 9-month-old son Sejad Hasan, wife and son of the banned Chhatra League leader Jewel Hasan from the village of Sabekdanga, Bagerhat Sadar Upazila, spread on social media, we are left asking ourselves: will the Sejads forgive us?

Countless families have been victims of the ruthless politics of vengeance that has developed here over the past few decades. During the previous authoritarian government, countless people had to remain in prison for days on end in politically motivated cases.