DHAKA: Bangladeshi protesters injured during the deadly revolution to overthrow autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina, clutching rubber-covered robotic prosthetic hands, test out replacement arms for their lost limbs.
“I will be able to perform some daily tasks with this artificial hand,” said student Hafeez Mohammad Hossain, 19, whose right hand was shot off on August 5.
It was the same day that protesters stormed Hasina's palace as she fled to India by helicopter.
Amid the chaos, Hossain said a police officer pointed a shotgun at him and fired. He described searing pain as the pellets lacerated his back and leg.
Surgeons detected the gunshot, but could not save his hand.
“I can't write anymore,” Hossain said. “I have a hard time learning to write with my left hand.”
He was fitted with a prosthesis on Thursday, along with four other students who also lost their hands during months-long protests in which at least 700 people died during a police crackdown.
Robolife Technologies, a Bangladeshi organization that makes artificial hands, said the prosthetics use sensors connected to nerves to move.
The company says it allows users to grab objects, write and use a phone.
“If you ask me if they work like organic hands, I would say no,” said Antu Karim, who is working on the government-backed project to adapt the limbs.
“But these hands allow children to hold a glass if they are thirsty or a spoon to eat,” he added. “At least, they won't be looked down upon for not having hands.”
trust others
Hasina's 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including mass arrests and extrajudicial executions of her political opponents.
Memberless protesters held a demonstration earlier this month demanding that the interim government that took power after Hasina's fall support those injured in the protests.
Many say they have not received the help they need.
The other four former protesters who had arms fitted on Thursday included Mohammad Mamun Mia, 32, a father of two, whose hand was cut off by a gang he said was loyal to Hasina's Awami League party.
The new arm is far from perfect, but it has made a big difference.
“I'll be able to do some regular tasks with this hand,” he said, adding that although he can't go back to work driving a tractor in the fields, he now hopes to open a small business.
Arif Hossain Sagar, 19, had his hand amputated after he failed to heal from an injury he suffered during the protests, and doctors were worried about gangrene.
“Now I can't do any regular activities,” Sagar said. AFP. “I depend on others to eat or bathe.”
The new hand will bring some degree of normality back to his life, he said.
Nayeem Hasan, injured when attackers pounced on him as he went to donate blood to help those injured after a fire, burst into tears.
The new arm would help him fulfill his simple dream.
“I have a one-year-old daughter who wants me to hug her,” Hasan said.
