Dhaka: Bangladeshi protesters, injured during the deadly revolution that ousted authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina, squeeze rubber-covered robotic prosthetic hands and test replacement weapons for their missing limbs.
“I will be able to do some daily tasks with this prosthetic hand,” said student Hafeez Muhammad Hussein, 19, whose right hand was amputated in a shooting on August 5.
It was the same day that protesters stormed Hasina’s palace as she fled to India by helicopter.
In the midst of the chaos, Hussein said a police officer pointed his gun at him and opened fire. He described the intense pain he experienced when the bullets tore through his back and leg.
Surgeons removed the bullet, but were unable to save his hand.
“I can’t write anymore,” Hussein said. “I’m having a hard time learning how to write with my left hand.”
On Thursday, he was fitted with a prosthetic limb, along with four other students who also lost their hands during months-long protests in which at least 700 people were killed during a police crackdown.
Robolife Technologies, a Bangladeshi organization that manufactures prosthetic hands, said the prosthetics use sensors connected to nerves to move.
The company says it allows users to hold objects, write, and use the phone.
“If you asked me if they worked like organic hands, I would say no,” said Anto Karim, who works on the government-backed limb-fitting project.
He added, “But these hands allow the boys to hold a cup if they are thirsty, or a spoon to eat.” “At least, they won’t be looked down upon for not having hands.”
Rely on others
Hasina’s 15-year term saw widespread human rights violations, including mass detention and extrajudicial killing of her political opponents.
The demonstrators organized a march earlier this month to demand that the interim government that took power after the fall of Hasina support those injured in the protests.
Many say they did not receive the help they needed.
The other four former protesters whose arms were prepared on Thursday were Mohammad Mamun Mia, 32, a father of two, whose hand was cut off by a gang he said were loyal to Hasina’s Awami League party.
The new arm is far from perfect, but it has made a big difference.
“I will be able to do some regular tasks with this hand,” he said, saying that although he could not work driving a tractor in the fields again, he now hoped to open a small business.
Arif Hussain Sagar, 19, had his hand amputated after he failed to recover from an injury sustained during the protests, and doctors were concerned about gangrene.
“I cannot do any regular activities now,” Sagar said. Agence France-Presse. “I depend on others to eat or shower.”
He said the new hand would restore a degree of normalcy to his life.
Naeem Hassan, who was injured when attackers attacked him while he was on his way to donate blood to help those injured after a fire, burst into tears.
The new arm will help him achieve his simple dream.
“I have a one-year-old daughter who wants me to hug her,” Hassan said.