On 16 July 2024, Abu Sayed, an English student at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, was shot dead by police while protesting against violent attacks on quota reform protesters by the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). 

He became the first protester killed during the quota reform movement—a death that galvanized nationwide demonstrations and ultimately transformed the movement into a mass uprising.

Daily Waadaa interviewed several eyewitnesses and journalists who were at the scene, captured the incident on camera, and helped take Abu Sayed to the hospital.

Among them was Tawhidul Haque Siam, then the Begum Rokeya University correspondent for Projonmo News 24, who witnessed police opening fire.

Around noon, police officers and several university officials were stationed at Gate No. 1 of the campus. Students marched from Lalbagh towards the university. When they attempted to enter the campus, a confrontation broke out between police and the protesters, quickly escalating into clashes.

"Police baton-charged the protesters and used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse them. They also fired tear gas to drive journalists away from the scene," Siam said.

NTV cameraperson Asaduzzaman Arman, whose live broadcast captured the moment Abu Sayed was shot, described a similar sequence of events.

According to Arman, the procession began near Rangpur Zilla School and steadily grew in size as it advanced towards the BRUR campus.

Ahmadul Hoque Albir, an Accounting student at BRUR and an eyewitness to the shooting, said one of the main reasons protesters insisted on entering the campus was that they had received information that many fellow students were trapped inside the dormitories by members of the BCL. They wanted to bring them to safety.

Before the fatal shooting, Abu Sayed had already been injured during a police baton charge.

Siam recalled that at least five police officers singled him out during the assault and repeatedly struck him with batons, causing a head injury.

"I immediately rushed to him, held him with one hand, and pointed my camera directly at the police. They then moved away and continued firing tear gas and sound grenades," he said.

Despite his injuries, Abu Sayed refused to leave the scene. Instead, he returned to the front of Gate No. 1, where only minutes later he would be fatally shot.

Arman, who was broadcasting the events live on NTV during the channel's afternoon news bulletin, was standing only a few feet away from Abu Sayed.

He said police fired three rounds directly at Abu Sayed at exactly 2:17 p.m.

"After being shot, he first tried to remain standing, then sat down, and finally collapsed onto the road," Arman said.

After Abu Sayed was struck in the chest, fellow protesters rushed him towards Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Siam, who was standing nearby, was also hit by police fire.

"Some of the protesters rushed to Abu Sayed immediately and carried him to Rangpur Medical College Hospital," he said.

Siam himself was struck by splinters.

"I believe I was deliberately targeted because I was recording the police officers who had opened fire," he said.

Albir, who accompanied the injured Siam to the hospital, said they deliberately avoided the main road for fear of further attacks by BCL members.

At Rangpur Medical College Hospital, doctors immediately began treating the injured. As more protesters arrived, word spread that someone had died, although no one initially knew the victim's identity.

Siam recalled the devastating moment he searched for Abu Sayed.

"Eventually, I found him. He was lying there silently, his blood already dried. He was no longer with us."