Salauddin, who lost sight in police firing, passes away

Gazi Salauddin, who lost sight in one eye after being hit by shotgun pellets of police during the anti-discrimination movement in July last year, died on Sunday night.

Salauddin was 55.

He developed severe breathing problems after Sunday evening. He was taken to Narayanganj 300-Bed Hospital around 9:00pm, where doctors declared him dead at the emergency department, said his elder son, Amir Faisal Ratul.

Ratul said, "Apart from the eye, bullets had hit my father's face, neck, and hands. The splinters in his throat could not be removed. Doctors had advised him not to talk much. He had been coughing badly in recent days, and he would often cough blood."

"My father had also been seeing dimly through his other eye," he added.

Salauddin lived with his wife and two sons in Godnail area of Narayanganj Sadar upazila.

He was listed as number 132 among those critically injured during July movement, in the interim government's official gazette. Alongside government's financial support, the July Foundation also helped his family by providing goods to start a small grocery shop last month.

Due to his fragile condition, Salauddin could not manage the shop regularly -- his son Ratul often looked after it instead.

Family members recalled that during the anti-discrimination movement protests in Narayanganj last July, Salauddin had been working at a shop in Bhuigor area. When demonstrations erupted in the city, he joined the protesters. On July 19, he, along with others, was shot by police.

After initial treatment at Narayanganj 300-Bed Hospital, he was transferred to the National Institute of Ophthalmology, where he underwent surgery, but he never regained vision in one eye.

Salauddin's wife, Rani Begum, believes he might have survived if he had received advanced treatment.

Worried about their future, she said, "We have no savings. He worked whenever he could, and that is how we lived. I never imagined I'd lose him like this."

Salauddin's janaza was held yesterday at Godnail Bazar, followed by burial at a local graveyard, family members confirmed.