Unbeknownst to the father, the son’s illegal journey abroad, the family is speechless in death

The only son, Sujan Faraji, secretly left for abroad through illegal means without his father’s knowledge. The father is now grieving after losing his son in a boat capsize in the Mediterranean Sea. On Tuesday morning, in the East Gotamaji area of Madaripur Sadar Upazila, the father’s lament was heard.

Sujan Faraji had dreamed of going to Italy to fulfill his aspirations. Unable to find a legal pathway, he decided to take the illegal route. While other family members agreed with Sujan’s decision, his father, Mirazul Islam, was unwilling to take the risk. This led to several arguments between the father and son. Eventually, Sujan left for Libya with the help of a broker without informing his father.

Recently, among the 23 bodies that washed ashore on the Libyan coast after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, Sujan Faraji’s body was also found. Sujan’s father, Mirazul Islam, confirmed the news of his son’s death to Prothom Alo on Tuesday morning. Their home is in East Gotamaji, Gotamaji Union, Madaripur Sadar Upazila.

According to sources from the Bangladeshi embassy in Libya, a group of aspiring migrants attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Italy by boat. The boat, carrying 56 passengers, sank on January 25. Between January 28 and 31, 23 bodies washed ashore. Although the identities of the decomposed bodies could not be confirmed, the embassy, citing local sources, stated that almost all of them were Bangladeshi.

Sujan’s family and local residents said that Sujan was lured by a broker and left home for Italy in late November last year. He first traveled from Dhaka to Dubai, stayed there for a few days, and then went to Libya. He was later held in a detention center in Benghazi, Libya. On January 24, Sujan and other migrants set off from the Libyan coast in an engine-powered boat headed for Italy. However, the boat capsized before reaching Italy.