Tahmid Bhuiyan Tamim

Tahmid Bhuiyan Tamim was a ninth-grade student at Nasima Kadir Molla High School and Homes in Narsingdi. On July 18, Tamim died after being struck by a rubber bullet during a clash between police and protesters advocating for quota reform at the Narsingdi Jail Intersection on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway . His death sparked widespread outrage on social media, further intensifying the ongoing movement.

Tahmid Bhuiyan Tamim
Born	2008 Narsingdi, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Died	July 18, 2024(2024-07-18) (aged 15–16) Jailkhana Mor, Narsingdi, Bangladesh
Occupation	Student
Parent	Rafiqul Islam Bhuiyan

Early life

Tamim was born in 2008 in the village of Nandipara, under Chinishpur Union of Narsingdi Sadar Upazila. He lived with his parents; his father is a rural doctor, and his mother a homemaker. Tamim was the eldest of three children, with two younger sisters aged 3 and 13. Initially, Tamim attended an English-medium school. However, due to financial constraints, he transferred to Nasima Kadir Molla High School and Homes, where he was studying in the ninth grade. A cricket enthusiast, Tamim aspired to become a professional cricketer and dreamed of joining the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP), the country's premier sports institution, to hone his skills and represent Bangladesh internationally.

Death and reaction

On the afternoon of 18 July 2024, during the ongoing protests, Tamim went outside out of curiosity. His mother, busy in the kitchen, tried to prevent him from going out. Frustrated, Tamim told her, "You never let me go anywhere; you’re keeping me indoors like a girl." He then stepped outside. A neighborhood woman noticed him and asked where he was going; Tamim replied, "I’m going to see what’s happening at the Jail Intersection." She advised him to stay away from trouble, but he did not heed her warning.

At the intersection, Tamim mingled with the crowd of protesters. Clashes between the protesters and the police escalated, with rubber bullets, stones, and tear gas filling the air. In the chaos, Tamim was struck by a rubber bullet. Protesters rushed him to the nearby District Hospital, where he was declared dead by the doctors.

His body was placed on a stretcher as protesters chanted slogans around it. Police fired shots again, and one bullet struck his lifeless body in front of his grieving father, Rafiqul Islam Bhuiyan, who was only 100 yards away, witnessing the horrific scene. Heartbroken, he cried out in agony. As news of the incident spread on social media, it triggered an outpouring of anger and protests across the country. Tamim's death became a rallying point, galvanizing the quota reform movement further.