The afternoon sun filters through the veranda of a modest semi‑pucca house in Babanpur village of Madankhali union under Pirganj upazila of Rangpur.

Sitting quietly on the eastern side is Monowara Begum, clutching a framed photograph of her son, Abu Sayed -- standing with his arms outstretched and his chest bared in defiance.

Beside the image are the words in Bangla: “Buker bhitor tumul jhor, buk petechhi guli kor,” which roughly translates as: “There are countless storms within my heart. I have bared my chest -- shoot me.”

She gently wipes the dust from the glass with the edge of her saree before staring silently at her son’s face.

“Where has my Sayed gone? My son will never come back…”

Two years have passed. Yet for this family, time remains frozen on July 16, 2024 -- the day Abu Sayed, an English department student at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, was shot dead by police during the quota reform movement.

Placing her hand on the photograph, Monowara says in her local dialect: “They shot and killed my son. The court has delivered its verdict, but it has yet to be carried out. Before I die, I want to see my son’s killers punished. Only a parent who loses a child knows this pain.”

In one corner of the room sits an old bag. Carefully preserved inside are Abu Sayed’s university ID card, English literature books, notebooks and a pen.

“I don’t let anyone touch it. These are my son’s memories,” she says softly.

Abu Sayed’s father, Mokbul Hossain, has been bedridden for the past month due to illness. Every time he speaks about his son, his eyes fill with tears.

“My son was exceptionally brilliant. All my dreams rested on him. He always looked after us. Since he was killed I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see his face.”

Around noon on July 16, 2024, hundreds of students gathered at Park Mor, adjacent to Gate 1 of Begum Rokeya University, as part of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

According to witnesses, law enforcers first fired tear gas and sound grenades before opening fire with live ammunition. While most students retreated to safety, Abu Sayeed refused to step back. Standing with both arms outstretched, he faced the police. Within seconds, gunshots rang out. His body jerked before collapsing onto the ground.

His fellow students took him to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Shahriar Shanto, a student at university and an eyewitness, says, “That day, it was not just the death of a university student. It marked the birth of a symbol.”

A few seconds of video footage captured at the scene spread across social media within minutes. News outlets at home and abroad broadcast the image of an unarmed young man standing fearlessly with his arms outstretched before the police. His final stance soon became an enduring symbol of resistance.

Abu Sayed’s death dramatically altered the course of the student movement and became one of the defining catalysts for the subsequent mass uprising.

Following a lengthy investigation involving video footage, photographs, forensic reports and eyewitness testimony, prosecutors filed charges with the International Crimes Tribunal.

On April 9, 2026, International Crimes Tribunal-2 delivered its verdict.

Two former police personnel -- assistant sub-inspector Amir Hossain and constable Sujan Chandra Roy -- were sentenced to death. Three other police officers received life imprisonment, while 28 others were handed prison terms of varying lengths. Amir and Sujan are currently behind bars.

Meanwhile, the construction work in the project announced a year ago to preserve the memory of Abu Sayed and to upgrade infrastructure at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur has yet to get underway.

The project included plans to construct a museum, a memorial gate, a monument, street memory stamps, research facilities, and other infrastructure dedicated to preserving the history of the July uprising.

The foundation stones for these structures were laid on July 16, 2025.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Shawkat Ali said, “The project proposal has already been submitted. After receiving approval from the UGC, it will be forwarded to the education ministry and the planning ministry and then placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council. Once the project is approved, the construction work will begin.”