Ten-year-old Saifan Abdullah is struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of his father, Mohammad Shahidul Islam. “I don’t feel happy without my father. Why did he abandon us?” he repeatedly asks, grappling with the void left behind. His younger brother, Shadman Safin, just three years old, constantly tries to speak to his father through the phone—a wish that can never be fulfilled.
Saifan and Shadman are the sons of Shahidul Islam, a respected agricultural scientist. On 23 January, an unidentified individual’s body was discovered, later confirmed to be Shahidul, leaving the family in shock. This Eid marks the first time the children will celebrate without their father. Though gifts have been brought by grandparents, uncles, and other relatives, Saifan’s sense of loss is profound. “Father would have taken us shopping for Eid. Why is mother taking us instead?” he wonders.
Shammi Akhtar, Shahidul’s wife, told the press, “We are not in a position to go shopping with the children. They are too young to understand that their father is gone. Even our elder son struggles to accept it and reacts with shouting and tears.”
From Disappearance to Discovery
Shahidul Islam, aged 42, formerly served as Research Co-ordinator at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. He went missing on 21 January while travelling from Gulshan, Dhaka, to Barisal. Two days later, police in Shibchar, Madaripur, recovered a body from the roadside slope along the Dhaka–Bhanga Expressway, which was later confirmed as Shahidul’s.
Shahidul had been living in Barisal’s Alekanda area with his family. Although he had finished his last project in December, he was preparing to start a private agricultural farm in his native village, Serajpur, in Kalapara, Patuakhali.
| Event | Date & Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Travel to Dhaka | 20 Jan | Stayed at brother Ershad Ullah’s residence, Mohakhali |
| Bank Visit | 21 Jan, morning | Standard Chartered Bank, Gulshan branch |
| Last Phone Activity | 21 Jan, 12:32 PM | Keraniganj, Ekuria – last GPS location |
| Body Found | 23 Jan | Shibchar, Dhaka–Bhanga Expressway slope |
Shahidul’s phone went offline at noon on 21 January, prompting family concern and media coverage. Shammi Akhtar recounted that the youngest son initially did not recognize his father’s body, asking, “Why is uncle lying here?” Only after being washed and prepared did the child recognize him.
Investigation and Unanswered Questions
On 27 January, Shahidul’s father, Matiur Rahman, filed a case at Shibchar police station accusing unidentified individuals of abduction and murder. Initially, it was suspected that Shahidul might have been kidnapped or fallen unconscious. CCTV footage shows him boarding a Turag Transport bus; however, no further footage has been released.
Shibchar Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge, Shafiqul Islam, stated, “There has been no significant progress in the investigation. Some information has been collected, but the visceration report has not yet arrived.”
Family Left in Void
Shammi Akhtar, a former schoolteacher with a Master’s in History from Dhaka University, is now raising her two children at her in-laws’ home in Patuakhali. Their eldest son has been enrolled in fourth grade locally. Shahidul’s planned farm is now overseen by his elderly father.
Shammi highlighted the added challenges of dealing with imposters calling for money, the absence of nearby relatives, and the emotional burden of young children. “Now, I only want to know—who killed my husband, why, and how?”