Journalist Mehedi Hasan's chilling prediction finally came true, but in a way, no one could have ever wished.

On July 18, while covering the historic student-led movement in Jatrabari, Mehedi was fatally shot by the police. His untimely death, amid the struggle for justice, made him the very headline he once forewarned.

Journalist Mehedi's chest was riddled with bullets. His face, tired and serene, seemed like he had found peace after a long exhaustion. His eyes were closed, lying on the ICU bed, and you couldn't tell at first that he was no longer alive. He would never open those eyes again.

During a clash between anti-discrimination protesters and the police, a senior reporter of Dhaka Times, Mehedi Hasan, was reporting from the scene. He was capturing photos on his phone as shots were fired from a police riot vehicle.

Moments later, Mehedi was hit by a bullet and died on the spot.

Mehedi had once posted on Facebook, "One day, I will become the headline." That day arrived, and his name spread across every media outlet, both in Bangladesh and beyond.

But as the news cycle churns forward, are we already forgetting the courageous journalist who paid the ultimate price while bearing witness to an uprising against authoritarianism?

For his heartbroken wife, Farhana Nipa, his young two minor daughters – Nisha and Anisa, his ailing father, Mosharraf Hossain, and his fellow journalists, the memory of his sacrifice is painfully fresh. Their grief stands as a lasting testament to the cost of truth in a time of unrest.

"I can’t believe Mehedi is no longer in this world. In the evening, he had called me, asking why I went to the roof in the sun, knowing I had low blood pressure. He said things were bad in Dhaka, but promised to come home and tell me everything. That was the last time we spoke."

With a voice choked with grief, Mehedi Hasan’s wife, Farhana Nipa, described the scene. "Around noon, I called him and said, ‘I don't know why, but I feel uneasy today. Please come home.’ He scolded me and said, ‘I’m on duty. This is my responsibility.’"

She continued, “Every day after dinner, Mehedi would call me, and only then would I eat. That evening, I had eaten, laid down with my two daughters, when our landlord’s daughter came rushing in, saying someone had called. I thought it was just a minor injury. I begged, ‘Please, for the love of God, take him to the hospital.’”

Mehedi’s father, Mosharraf Hossain, his voice shaking, said, “I’m a stroke patient with three blocks in my heart. Mehedi dreamed of saving up for my heart surgery. Losing him feels like my chest has been shattered. He was the sole breadwinner. A father should never have to carry his child’s coffin—it’s too heavy a burden to bear."

Describing the harrowing incident, staff reporter Imam Hossain Imon from Daily Bangladesher Alo told BSS, "Like every day, I was on duty. Mehedi called me at 11 a.m., asking me to come to Jurain. He called again around noon, and within five minutes, I was there”.

“We headed towards Jatrabari on a motorbike. The police and paramilitary forces were on one side, and students on the other. Tear gas, sound grenades, and the piercing smell of chemicals filled the air. We moved up the flyover for a better vantage point. From there, we saw a student lying on the ground, shot. We began collecting photos and videos."

Imam continued, “A few reporters were below the flyover, and I told them about the student who had been shot. Meanwhile, two truck drivers were forcefully pulled out of their vehicles by police officers.

Mehedi was possibly recording from the top when an angry officer snatched his phone. Later, we managed to retrieve it. In between our work, we quickly grabbed some lunch."

By 5:40 p.m., according to Imam, an armoured personnel carrier (APC) was speeding towards the protesting students. It came to a sudden halt, reversed, and then opened fire on the group, directly aiming at Mehedi.

"I can’t recall how many shots were fired, but it was terrifying. I crouched beside an island. Mehedi, turning towards me, clutched his neck and said, ‘Brother…they’ve...shot me...’ and collapsed. I was barely 10 feet away, but I couldn’t move."

As the situation calmed down, Imam rushed to the police for help, pleading that Mehedi had been shot, but no one came forward.

Another witness, Yasin Ahmed, a student of Munshiganj Polytechnic Institute, also present at the scene, described the horror to BSS. He said, "The police were firing tear gas and bullets. I saw a body lying nearby, and as I went to help, I found another person with a press card around his neck—it was Mehedi."

Yasin added, “Mehedi’s phone was unlocked, possibly because he had tried to call his family. I saw a number saved as ‘Apu’ and dialled it. His wife answered.

She repeatedly asked us to take him to the hospital. We rushed him to a nearby private clinic, where the doctor found his chest filled with rubber bullets. They advised us to transfer him to a bigger hospital. At Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the doctors confirmed Mehedi had passed away."

Abu Saleh, former president of CRAB, mentioned that Mehedi was attacked by an assistant police commissioner while reporting from the flyover. His phone was confiscated as punishment for recording sensitive footage, though it was later returned.

In a heartfelt tribute, Mehedi’s colleague Morshedul Zahir from Dhaka Times recalled his last piece, “Waiting for Peace or a New Crisis,” which he narrated just the day before his death.

Mehedi once wrote on Facebook, "One day, I will become the headline." That day came, as Mehedi became the headline across all media, both in the country and abroad.

And finally, it happened.

Courtesy: BSS NEWS