Rickshaw puller Rony Pramanik was shot dead by the members of law enforcement agency in the Savar bus stand area, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on 21 July. Rony had gone out with his rickshaw to earn some money. During the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, when the police opened fire to disperse protesters, a bullet struck him in the chest.

Rony resided with his mother, wife, and two children in a rented house near the Delta Intersection in Rajashan in Savar. The family of five was running based on the earnings of Rony, the lone working person in the family. Without going out with the rickshaw, it would have been difficult for him to manage meals for the family.

Rony hails from Panchdas village in Buriganj union under Shibganj upazila in Bogura.

His mother Shahana Khatun did not return to Dhaka after going to their village home to bury the body of his deceased son. Rony’s wife Shamima Akhtar Sathi is distraught with her two children – five-year-old Yasin and one-and-a-half-year-old Ivan – after the death of her husband.

Failing to pay house rent, Sathi was forced to move to a relative’s house with the children. They have been suffering from a food shortage although they have somehow managed to arrange their stay. She has been feeding her children after borrowing money.

Many known persons, however, are not showing interest in giving her a loan, fearing that the money will not be back.

Bashundhara Shuvosangho has stood beside her.

The family of Rony was given one month’s food assistance by Shuvosangho Dhaka district branch, on behalf of the Bashundhara Group. Recently, the food items were handed over to Rony’s wife Sathi in Daroga market in Savar.

At that time, Bashundhara Group gave assurance of taking responsibility for the education of Rony’s children in the future. The food items included chicken, fish, rice, pulses, oil, sugar, salt, turmeric-chili powder, onion, garlic, potatoes, noodles, okra, gourd, and papaya.

Upon receiving the food aid, Shamima Akhter Sathi became emotional. She expressed her gratitude to Bashundhara Group.

Abir Khan, Sabbir Ahmed Shovon, Sakib Hossain Fahim, Md Sajib Mollah, and Atiq Shahriar Russell were present on the occasion.

Bd pratidin English/Lutful Hoque