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Remembering Him on 55th Birth Anniversary

Sheikh Russel-a target of extreme cruelty and heinous vendetta

Published : Friday, 18 October, 2019 at 12:00 AM  Count : 790
Observer Special
Had he lived to witness this day, Sheikh Russel, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's youngest son, would have been 55 today. However, in a cruel twist of fate - the innocent 10 year old child became a victim of the 15 August 1975 bloodbath - orchestrated by a group of derailed and reckless army officers. Reflecting back to that ominous day, much of the nation yet becomes traumatised asking - how could the killers not even spare the life of a harmless innocent child? They killed our Father of the Nation, his entire family and later on four national leaders, who led our War of Liberation, inside Dhaka Central Jail. Bangabandhu's two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, escaped the August 15 mayhem as they were out of the country then.
In fact, the 10 year old Russel's killing is an unprecedented event in the history of all notorious assassinations. The killers must have foreseen the future leadership concealed in the child's lineage, so he needed to be removed at any cost from this world. He was a target of the killers' endless hate for his bloodline. Perhaps murdering Russel was an attempt to redefine cruelty in its most horrific form.
For whatever reason Sheikh Russel was murdered, his assasination also testifies the unimaginable brutality of a few beasts disguised as army officers at that time who were hell-bent to wipe-out our Father of the Nation and his family from earth. The sinister attempt to do so, had miserably failed. On the contrary, Sheikh Russel, with his childish charm and innocent looks, appears to be ever glowing under various banners of youth and sports establishments in today's Bangladesh. The killers could not wipe out the bloodline of our Father of the Nation.
Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina is now the fourth time Prime Minister of Bangladesh-who has not only leading the country as a 'Role Model' of development but also pledged to implement the unfinished task of her father to build 'Sonar Bangla'.
We remember Sheikh Russel with much affection placing him close to our hearts. If the exclusive reason for his killing was for his bloodline, the killers on that black day, had also murdered a child's innocence and his right to live.
We doubt whether any member of that cold-blooded August 15 killing team had ever asked themselves why they did the merciless killing of Sheikh Russel. Alike any helpless child in a crisis moment, Russel had begged to stay beside his mother. In response, he was shot and silenced forever. All rooms to justify the killing of this innocent child are closed.  What remains is a tragic tale of a helpless child's murder along with the rest of his family - that will one day become a powerful legacy.
In all its practicalities, Sheikh Russel's merciless killing resonate another sad reality about the vulnerability and insecurity of our children. 44 years on, hundreds of our children have become victims of murder, rape, physical and mental torture. And in recent times the intensity of torture on our children has become despicable. Compare to last year's statistics on violence against children, the rate is up by a staggering 18.75%. Media reports suggest, at least 164 children were raped in the first quarter of 2019, but the rapes doubled within three months, ballooning to 332 from April to June at 102%. Dead Russel, by embracing a painful and unwanted death, repeatedly keeps reminding us about the endless sufferings of our children in today's society.
Over the past four decades Russel has become the iconic symbol of every single oppressed child of Bangladesh. He not only claims justice for his murder, rather he has become the silent voice demanding rights and justice for our children. Otherwise Russel is the tale of a child's powerful legacy demanding rights and justice.
Let us build a safe and secured society for our children to remove the scar of the brutal murder of Sheikh Russel. Let us take a solemn pledge to love and protect our children’s right to live.
Sheikh Russel-we badly miss you on this day. May Almighty Allah bless you in heaven beside your parents and brothers.


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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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