Teacher Injured by Sound Grenade at Teachers’ Rally Dies

Fatema Akter, a 45-year-old assistant teacher who was injured during a teachers’ rally demanding the implementation of the tenth grade for primary teachers along with two other key demands, passed away on Sunday morning at a hospital in Mirpur, Dhaka. She succumbed to her injuries ten days after the incident.

Fatema taught at Jhinaiya Government Primary School in Motlob Uttar, Chandpur. She was the daughter of Suruj Molla from Ghaniarpur village and the wife of schoolteacher D M Soleman from Thakurchar village. She leaves behind her husband and two young children.

A funeral service was held on Sunday night in Thakurchar, Motlob Uttar, followed by burial in the family graveyard. Colleagues, students, parents, and local residents attended the ceremony to pay their respects.

Saiful Islam, an assistant teacher at Amiyapur Government Primary School, Motlob Uttar, said, “We were participating in the rally together. On 8 November at Shahbagh, she was traumatised by the sound of a grenade. Her condition worsened at the hospital, and she eventually lost the ability to speak. She was admitted to the ICU and passed away yesterday at 10 am.”

Her husband, D M Soleman, expressed his grief, saying, “Losing my wife has devastated our family. I never imagined she would die in this manner while participating in the protest. Now I am left alone to care for our children.”

The deaths were confirmed by local educational union leaders Abdul Baten and Hasan Mamun, as well as Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Pradip Mondol of Motlob Uttar Police Station.

This tragic incident has raised serious concerns over the safety of teachers participating in public demonstrations and the handling of security measures during protests.