Desk Report,
A day or two ago, the siblings left.
After school, Aryan Ashraf Nafi went to see why his elder sister Tahiya Ashraf Nazia was late in coming out. And then the warplane crashed. Both siblings were burned. Both were taken to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Nazia’s body was 90 percent burned. And Nafi’s little body was almost completely burned—95 percent.
A day or two ago, the siblings left.
The siblings were buried side by side at the Rajabari Dakshinpara graveyard in Kamarpara in the capital. Nazia died on July 22, and Nafi succumbed to death on July 23.
Nazia was a sixth-grade student at Milestone School and College in Uttara. And Nafi was a third-grade student. While admitted to the Burn Institute, Nazia wanted to know how her brother was doing. Family members said, “Your brother is fine, he is healthy.” Nazia considered this to be the ‘truth’. But death is now the only ‘truth’ for the two siblings. And only relatives know how hard it is to accept this truth! Mother Tahmina Akhter and father Ashraful Islam are devastated after losing their two children.
This reporter went to Nazia-Nafid’s house at Rajabari Pond in Kamarpara, the capital, on Saturday, with permission over the phone. He spoke to their aunt Tanjina Akhter. She said, “We no longer want to describe the death of our children, the bodies that were burned and mutilated in the fire! We have no more demands, no complaints against anyone. We don’t want compensation or anything else.”
Nazia-Nafid had all their demands from their mother. Their mother used to bring them to and from school. On July 21, Tahmina went to pick up their children from school. Nafi also came to her mother. Later, Nafi went inside the school again to see why Nazia was late. The plane crash happened right in front of Tahmina’s eyes, which took away her two children forever. After the accident, a search was conducted at Uttara Modern Medical College Hospital. From there, they went to the Burn Institute and found the two boys and girls.
Tanzina said that on Sunday, July 20, the door of the room where Nazia’s books were kept was locked. As a result, she could not do her homework assigned by the school. Therefore, the next day, Monday, July 21, after school, Nazia was taken into ‘detention’ (to finish her schoolwork). Otherwise, she would have come to her mother at the school gate on time.
Tahmina Akhter is pregnant. The doctor has announced the possible date of delivery next month. Ashraful Islam is a retired army member.
Nazia-Nafir’s aunt Tanzina said, ‘Various videos of the incident that day are circulating on YouTube. Today (Saturday), after watching the video of the two children who were burnt in the fire, I was convinced that these are our Nazia and Nafi. I did not recognize them before. After watching these videos, their parents are not talking to anyone, they have almost stopped eating.’
Two mothers, whose children study at Milestone School, came to see the family members of Nazia and Nafi. These two mothers were able to take their children home safely that day. The other family members, including these two guardians, expressed their anger and said that after the incident, the children were leaving after being burnt. At that time, a group of people were busy filming videos instead of coming forward to help the children.
Tanzina added, ‘They almost settled the dispute over why they did not want to show the mutilated bodies of the children to the people of the area. You all probably have children at home. Try to understand the situation of victims like us!’
Tanzina said that her elder sister’s son, Chhota Junayed, also studies in the same school. He was also burnt. He was initially admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Now admitted to CMH (Combined Military Hospital) in Dhaka.
Junaid’s sister Miftahul Jannat is also a ninth grade student at Milestone School. She was also at Nazia-Nafid’s house. She said in a very weak voice, ‘The incident happened right before my eyes. I could have also been burned to death!’
