Family mourns as army corporal killed by KNF fire is laid to rest
STAFF REPORTER
The funeral of Corporal Rafiqul Islam, who was killed by a KNF gunfire, has been completed under full military honors.
Corporal Islam died in the KNF attack on Friday afternoon in the Yatri Chhauni area, which lies midway between Boro Tholi Para under the Ruma Upazila Army Camp.
The attack also left two other army members injured.
The grief was palpable on Saturday evening when Corporal Islam’s body was brought to his home village.
Relatives were overtaken by emotion, their tears reflecting the somber mood that settled over the village.
Following the Esha prayer, he was buried in the family cemetery.
The day before, the atmosphere was heavy as his body, draped with the national and military flags, arrived from the Chittagong CMH around 7 PM, eliciting a profound outpouring of grief from family and friends.
A military team honored him with a gun salute during the funeral prayers held in the field next to his family’s mosque.
Rafiqul Islam, 37, was the son of Mofiz Uddin and lived in the village of Pashchim Soshaliya in Chatkhil Upazila, Noakhali.
The arrival of his body at the family home was a scene of heartbreak, as he was the family’s sole breadwinner.
His widow, Amena Begum, was visibly distraught, her sorrow shared by their three young sons who did not fully comprehend the gravity of their loss.
His mother, Hayatunnesa, too was overwhelmed with grief.
The community stood by, offering silent condolences as words failed to ease the pain of the bereaved family.
Rafiqul had joined the Bangladesh Army in 2005, driven by a strong sense of duty to his country.
He was critically wounded during an engagement with KNF terrorists in the Poli Prangsha Para area of Ruma Upazila.
Despite being swiftly transported to the Chittagong Combined Military Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the completion of funeral rites, Amena Begum expressed her desolation: “He last came home before Ramadan. We spoke on Friday morning, and he mentioned he was on duty. The call from the army that night broke the news of his death. This morning my father-in-law brought his body home. With three young sons and no one else to earn, I am left wondering how we will manage,” she said through tears.
Mofida Akter, Rafiqul’s sister, repeatedly fainted during the mourning, lamenting, “My brother looked after his own family and ours. What will we live for now? Who will look after my nephews? It feels like everything is over.”
Rafiqul’s other sister, Shahin Akter, also expressed her deep loss, “I have lost my precious brother. Who will look after us now? Who will run our household or provide for our elderly mother?”
Sheikh Ehsan Uddin, the Chatkhil upazila nirbahi officer, assured that the Bangladesh Army would support the family during this challenging time, acknowledging the community’s and nation’s loss of a dedicated soldier.
