Mir Mahfuzur Rahman ‘Mugdho’, a former student of Mathematics Discipline of Khulna University (KU), is not merely a name, he appeared to be a part of Bangladesh history as he embraced martyrdom joining the student-mass uprising ousting the Awami League (AL) government.
KU teachers recounted the memory of Mugdho with heavy heart narrating that how he used to enthrall the whole campus by his infectious behaviour encouraging others to be a good human soul.
On July 18, Mugdho, 25, sacrificed life in the police firing as he was seen distributing water among the students staging demonstration in the Azampur area of Uttara in Dhaka posing no apparent threat.
A bullet hit his forehead and pierced through his right ear when the police opened fire at the students.
Professor Md. Azmol Huda, head of the Mathematics Discipline under the School of Science, Engineering and Technology of KU, said Mugdho was excellent in analytical ability helping him achieve good results in Mathematics.
‘Mugdho’, 25, graduated from the Mathematics department of KU as a student of the 19-batch.
“He (Mugdho) was an extraordinary student undoubtedly. In his freelancing career, he completed around 1,000 orders holding a 5-star rating on Fiverr, one of the best online workplaces in the world,” said Prof Huda.
The KU teacher said Mugdho possessed by-born leadership qualities as he posed himself the best team player at any event of KU Programmes and helped the first-year students understand any lesson and ready assignment.
“In the early days of 19-Batch, on a tour of Mathematics Discipline, I asked the students to elect two coordinators to take responsibility and look after the younger ones,” Prof. Huda said in somber voice.
“I was astonished seeing it was Mugdho, one of the favourite students of teachers, whom he had seen earlier as a coordinator of many events,” he added with the teary eyes.
Professor Dr Munnujahan Ara of the same department said all the teachers and the students loved Mugdho overwhelmingly.
“All the teachers of Mathematics Discipline loved his smiling face which was a symbol of innocence, said Professor Munnujahan, adding that sometimes when I rebuked him regarding any assignment in the class, he used to smile that mitigated my temper. Strangely enough, on the very next day, he submitted his assignment with his famous smile.”
Sorrow and sadness engulfed Munnujahan while recounting his memory as tears were rolling down her cheeks.
“He (Mugdho) was a brilliant debater of the Mathematics Discipline. He liked to play guitar. Even he played guitar in many departmental programmes in the KU,” she mentioned.
She also said Mugdho was very interested in riding bike while she was showing some photos of him.
He intended to visit all over Bangladesh riding bike and wanted to see how people were sufferings in the villages and the remote areas of the country, Munnujahan continued.
“All of our teachers and students burst into tears with grief when we saw that Mugdho was shot dead while he was on the street of Dhaka saying “Pani lagbe, Pani (need water, water)?” he stated.
After completion of his graduation from KU, Mugdho got admitted to Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) to complete his MBA.
Remembering Mugdho’s smiling face, Prof. Munnujahan said Mugdho’s classmates will go back to the classroom of BUP again but he won’t come back.
Earlier, Mugdho’s elder brother Mir Mahmudur Rahman Deepto reportedly said Mugdho was already dead when his friends brought him to Crescent Hospital.
He mingled with the students until his martyrdom to help the demonstrators, who were fighting for a just cause against the Awami Legue government, Deepto said, adding that from the young age, Mugdho always raised his voice against injustice and corruption.
Deepto also said that Mugdho was a unit leader in the Armed Police Battalion Scout Group and achieved the “National Service Award” from Bangladesh Scouts for his promising role in rescuing and evacuating people during the Banani Fire in 2019.