Nahid Hassan: The collateral damage of New Market clash

"I was feeling a bit unwell and asked Nahid to not go to work. But he went anyway, saying work had already been off for a long time during the Covid-19 pandemic and that he could not afford to abstain from office in Ramadan," said Doli Hasan, reminiscing one of the last conversations with her husband on Tuesday.

Nahid Hassan, 18, died later on the day after being critically injured in a violent clash between New Market traders and Dhaka College students.

Doli and Nahid got married six months ago. The couple lived in a house in Kamrangirchar of the capital. He used to work as a deliveryman for a courier service company in the Bata Signal area on Elephant Road.

Doli now wants justice for her husband's death.

"I want justice for this. I want justice from the government. Will the government compensate us?" she said while mourning her husband's death.

According to media reports, Nahid's body bore marks of brutal beatings.

"There were numerous bruises all over his body. He was brutally beaten to death," reported The Daily Star citing police and sources at Dhaka Medical College morgue.

Nahid's father Md Nadim said, "My son went to work – he did not go there to fight someone.

"Why did they beat him? Who am I supposed to seek justice from? Against whom will I file a case?"

Nahid's mother Nargis Begum said her son never misbehaved with anyone, never got into any fights.

"There is no one better than my son. He went to work in good health and came back dead. How will I bear this pain?" she wailed.

Nahid was the only fatality of the daylong clashes between the traders and students in the New Market area.

According to police officials, at least 50 others were injured in the clash with at least four sustaining serious injuries.