Soldier killed in Teknaf operation laid to rest beside grandmother in Faridpur

Army soldier Titas Sheikh, 28, who was killed by gunfire during a joint operation against a human trafficking gang in Teknaf, was laid to rest beside his grandmother’s grave in Faridpur this evening (6 November).

His funeral prayers were held at Laskardia village in Nagarkanda upazila, followed by his burial at a local graveyard.

Earlier, his body was flown by an Army helicopter to the ground of Nagarkanda Government Mahendra Narayan Academy at around 4:40pm.

Army personnel led by Major Sohel of the 15 RE Riverine Engineer Battalion at Padma Cantonment received the body.

Following a guard of honour, the body was taken to his ancestral home in Laskardia village.

Relatives, neighbours and local residents gathered to pay their final respects. His mother, Rekha Begum, father Afzal Sheikh and wife Sumaiya Akter broke down in tears as his body arrived.

Army personnel and local residents attended the funeral prayers.

Last conversation with mother before operation

Titas spoke to his mother for the last time over the phone on Wednesday night, shortly before being deployed on the operation.

“I will go on an operation against the extremists tomorrow afternoon. Pray for me, mother,” he told her.

The following day, Thursday, he was shot during the operation and later succumbed to his injuries.

Titas had married Sumaiya Akter four years ago, and the couple had no children. He had planned to take his wife to his workplace in December, but his untimely death has left that plan unfulfilled.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate, a joint operation against a human trafficking gang was under way in Teknaf around 4:30pm on Thursday when Titas came under fire from assailants positioned in the hills.

A bullet struck the upper left side of his chest.

He was initially taken to Leda IRC Rohingya Hospital in critical condition before being transferred to Ramu Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for advanced treatment. The attending physician declared him dead at 8:48pm while he was undergoing treatment.

Titas was a member of the Army’s 1 Bir unit and was stationed at the Rangikhali Army Camp in Teknaf.

He joined the Bangladesh Army as a soldier in 2017.

His father, Afzal Sheikh, is a retired army personnel, while his younger brother, Akram Hossain, is also serving in the Army. Titas was the eldest of two brothers and one sister.

Confirming the burial, Nagarkanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rezwana Afrin said Titas’s body was brought to Nagarkanda by helicopter on Friday afternoon after the Army completed the necessary formalities.

He was buried beside his grandmother at a local graveyard following the funeral prayers, in accordance with his family’s wishes.