Dhaka terror attack: 20-yr-old killed after he chose not to leave Tarishi, her friend behind

WATCH VIDEO: Last Rites Of Dhaka Terror Attack Victim Tarishi Jain Observed

Sources told The Indian Express that Faraaz may have sacrificed his life, as he did not want to leave his two friends behind. This fact came to light during questioning of the hostages who were rescued, said sources.

According to these sources, Faraaz was given the option of leaving late on Friday night. Since Tarishi and Abinta were wearing western clothes, the terrorists asked Faraaz where they were from. He reportedly told them that they were from India and the US — although Abinta was studying in the US, she was a Bangladeshi citizen.

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The two teenagers were not freed, but Faraaz was given the option of leaving — an option he did not take.

Tarishi was the lone Indian national among the 20 killed in the attack on Friday. On Sunday, her father, Sanjeev Jain and family, remained incommunicado. “They are very shocked…they do not want to be disturbed at this point of time,” said an Indian diplomat, speaking on their behalf.

The Jain household, from Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh, had made Dhaka’s Baridhara locality their home for nearly two decades and had been running a garment business. They will receive the body of their daughter at the Army Stadium, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to offer tribute to all victims, and are expected to fly out to India Monday.

A short distance away from Baridhara, in Gulshan, stands Faisal Tower. Abinta’s picture hangs on the glass facade, with the poster saying, “Abinta Kabir-er akaal mrityutey aamra gobhirbabhe shokahoto (we deeply mourn the untimely loss of Abinta Kabir)”.

Abinta’s family owns Lavender, a prominent departmental store, where employees wore black ribbons on their purple and blue uniforms on Sunday. As shoppers milled around inside the store, which stocks everything from toothpaste to cheese, assistant general manager Liakot Hossain Lipon remembered her as an “innocent child”.

“I have been working with the family enterprise for the last 14 years. I have seen her since she was a four-year-old. She used to come here sometimes with her parents and grandparents. She used to mingle with us and other people here a lot,” said Lipon. He then pointed to a photo of Abinta on his desktop — the image was from her school convocation, with Abinta in her uniform, looking excited.

Barely half-a-kilometre away, on Gulshan’s road No. 50, a large palatial house with a glass facade has cars lined up outside. While the family is mourning inside, a steady stream of visitors have been paying their respects.

“They are not in a shape to talk to anyone,” said an assistant to Kabir’s mother, Ruba Ahmed, who is one of the directors at the family-owned enterprise.

Faraaz’s family kept away from the media throughout Sunday, although it owns two of the biggest newspapers in the country — The Daily Star and Prothom Alo. Both newspapers are leaders in the English and Bengali newspaper segment, and have always been known to adopt an anti-establishment line.

Faraaz is the grandson of Latifur Rahman, chairman of Transcom Group, and Shahnaz Rahman, and is the younger of two sons of Simeen Hossain, managing director, Eskayef Bangladesh Limited, and Muhammad Waquer Bin Hossain. He was pursuing his undergraduate studies at the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

“He came to Dhaka on May 18 for his summer holidays. He had gone with two of his friends to Holey Artisan for dinner when terrorists attacked the place,” said a family associate.

Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star, told The Indian Express, “This incident has struck us closer home because one of our family members have lost their child. My daughter, Tahmima, who is a writer, goes there (Holey Artisan bakery) very often… it is one of the quietest places in town. It is really sad that something like this has happened.”

The American School said in a statement: “The tragic events of Friday evening at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, Dhaka have left us in shock. After the official announcement of the names of the victims, the American International School Dhaka (AISD) has learned that we have lost three of our recent alumni in the attack. Today, we remember each of the victims for their contributions as students and citizens of the world. They were all incredibly gifted in their own way and we mourn their loss.

“Faraaz Hossain, Abinta Kabir and Tarishi Jain were all active members of our alumni community. During their time at AISD, they were all National Honor Society members, athletes and leaders who will be greatly missed by their classmates, teachers, staff members and all the younger students for whom they served as role models.

“As a community, our thoughts and prayers go out on behalf of Faraaz, Abinta, Tarishi and their families and friends at this time.”

The school, which calls its students and alumni “tigers”, ended its note on the notice board with this line: “Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger”.