Md. Kamal Uddin Staff Reporter, Chattogram.
\nA tense silence hung outside the ICU. Inside, a 12-year-old girl was fighting for her life on life support after a bullet entered below her eye and caused severe brain damage. Her devastated family wept helplessly in the hospital corridor, waiting anxiously for any sign of hope.
\nAt that moment, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mian arrived at the hospital \u2014 not with official ceremony or protocol, but seemingly as a guardian standing beside a wounded child.
\nThe girl, Reshma Akter, was caught in crossfire during a shooting in the Raofabad Shaheed Minar Lane area under Bayezid Police Station in Chattogram on Thursday night.
\nAccording to witnesses, around 9:50pm, five to six masked assailants opened fire on a young man named Hasan. Hasan was killed on the spot, while Reshma, an innocent passerby who had stepped out of her home to buy betel leaf for her family, was struck by a bullet.
\nShe was first taken to a private hospital in the city, where doctors later placed her on life support as her condition deteriorated.
\nAfter learning about the incident, the DC visited the hospital on Friday. ADC Syed Mahbubul Haque accompanied him.
\nThe DC spoke at length with doctors treating the child and personally reviewed her CT scan reports. Physicians informed him that the bullet had entered through her eye and caused extensive brain injuries, leaving her in critical condition.
\nWitnesses at the hospital said the DC appeared visibly emotional after hearing about the severity of the injuries and seeing Reshma\u2019s mother break down in tears.
\nHe later consoled the family and immediately arranged financial assistance from the district administration after learning about their severe financial hardship.
\nSpeaking to reporters, Zahidul Islam said, \u201cIt is heartbreaking that an innocent child became a victim of violence in this way. The incident has shaken all of us on a human level. No act of terrorism or armed violence will be tolerated.\u201d
\nHe said law enforcement agencies and intelligence units had already begun working to identify and arrest those responsible.
\n\u201cThis is clearly a sign of deteriorating law and order. I have already spoken to the relevant authorities and the superintendent of police. We are trying our best to bring the perpetrators under the law as quickly as possible,\u201d he said while responding to the questions of the journalists.
\nThe DC also reiterated the administration\u2019s tough stance against armed criminals in Chattogram.
\n\u201cJust as operations in Jangal Salimpur brought an area once known as a safe haven for criminals under full administrative control, strict action will also be taken against those involved in this incident,\u201d he said.
\nThe DC also highlighted the family\u2019s financial struggles. Reshma\u2019s father, Md Riaz Ahmed, is physically disabled and earns a living by selling betel leaf and vegetables to support his five children.
\n\u201cConsidering the family\u2019s condition, we have provided financial assistance from the district administration, and further support will continue,\u201d he said.
\nBut Zahidul Islam\u2019s involvement did not end with a hospital visit.
\nWhen Reshma\u2019s condition worsened further and doctors decided to transfer her to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, the DC personally called the hospital\u2019s director, Brig Gen Mohammad Taslim Uddin, requesting immediate ICU admission and emergency surgical support for the child.
\nHe also tried to contact Reshma\u2019s brother Ejaz Hossain. As Ejaz was inside the ambulance and unable to receive the call, the DC\u2019s staff officer later contacted him and informed him that the DC had already spoken to hospital authorities and requested the highest priority for Reshma\u2019s treatment.
\nBrig Gen Mohammad Taslim Uddin praised the DC\u2019s initiative, saying, \u201cThe DC often calls us requesting special attention for poor and helpless patients. He called again today regarding Reshma\u2019s treatment.We will ensure the highest possible medical care for her.
\nReshma\u2019s brother, Ejaz Hossain, said the family was deeply moved by the gesture.
\n\u201cA DC came to the hospital himself on a holiday to stand beside a family like ours. He did not stop after giving financial assistance. Later he again called to check on her treatment. He truly is a humane DC,\u201d he said.
\nStanding beside Reshma\u2019s bloodstained hospital bed, DC Zahidul Islam may not have been able to promise her life back. But he did leave behind a message that the doors of the state are always open to ordinary people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Md. Kamal Uddin Staff Reporter, Chattogram. A tense silence hung outside the ICU. Inside, a 12-year-old girl was fighting for her life on life support after a bullet entered below her eye and caused severe brain damage. Her devastated family wept helplessly in the hospital corridor, waiting anxiously for any sign of hope. At that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-4"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3754"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3756,"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3754\/revisions\/3756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailybangladeshpatrika.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}