Cynthia and Raisa Moni were more than just sisters—they were playmates, both studying at Milestone School and College.
Cynthia, the elder sister, was in the eighth grade, and Raisa, the younger one, was in the third. They used to go to school together and return at the same time. Usually, their mother would drop them off at school, and later, their father would pick them up.
The sisters went to school together on July 21. Before the class ended, Raisa Moni had insisted that Cynthia buy her a treat—her favourite ice cream.
Cynthia had gone to buy ice cream from the school canteen for her beloved younger sister, when everything went off the rails. An Air Force fighter jet crashed in front of the school's Haider Ali building.
As fire and smoke engulfed the area, Raisa Moni got trapped inside the building with many others.
At the same time, Cynthia heard a loud noise while buying ice cream in the canteen. She found herself running out of the school premises in sheer dread soon after.
The school had also been dismissed in the meantime.
But Raisa did not come out with her— only then did Cynthia come to her senses. Later, she tried to re-enter the school to look for her sister, but she was unable to do so.
Cynthia narrowly escaped the horrific situation.
Later, after an exhaustive search, Raisa Moni's father, Shahabul Sheikh, finally found his younger daughter on the following day. But it was too late. On July 22, at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Shahabul Sheikh identified her daughter after recognising a part of her face on her otherwise burnt body.
After DNA test confirmation, her body was handed over to her family on Thursday night (July 24).
That night, they left for their village home, Alfadanga of Faridpur, with the lifeless body of their daughter.
Raisa was buried at around 9:00am on Friday (July 25) at the Bajra graveyard in Gopalpur Union of the upazila.
But Raisa Moni's father, Shahabul Sheikh, and mother, Rokeya Begum, remain inconsolable in their grief.
Raisa's father, Shahabul Sheikh, told Stream, "In that situation, Cynthia came home sobbing. She said Dad Raisa Moni is no more. It sounded like a bomb blasted off there."
"Then I rush to the spot," he added.
Shahabul Sheikh and Rokeya Begum wanted their children to become educated in a quality school. So, they admitted their daughters into Milestone School and College in Diyabari at Uttara.
Shahabul, the owner of a garment accessories company, rented a house in Uttara's Nayanagar with his wife and younger son, thinking of the convenience of their children.
Father dropped off his daughters at school
On Monday, Shahabul dropped his two daughters off at school.
He was supposed to pick them up later. Before that, the accident happened.
Shahabul rushed to the school after hearing from his elder daughter, who returned home alone.
He cannot release himself from the desperation and grief that he felt when he could not find Raisa Moni.
In a tearful voice, the 45-year-old Shahabul said, "After dropping the two children off at school that day, the girls were saying, 'Dad, come and pick us up.' But I didn't go and pick them up. I couldn't bring my little girl back. How can I bear this grief?"
Mother cooked chicken and fish for the two sisters
That day, Rokeya Sultana cooked chicken and Rui fish for the two sisters.
Rui fish curry was one of Raisa's favourites.
She said, "I feed Raisa with my own hands every day. But who knew this would be her last meal with my hands."
"Like every day, at 6:30 in the morning, I prepare tiffin and wake the girls up. Their father takes the two sisters to school. Raisa kept looking back at me. When she left the room and went to the elevator, she still turned around and looked at me three times. She said her goodbyes as she left. Oh god…," Raisa's mother could not complete her sentence.
Cynthia is now afraid to return to school
After Raisa's death, Cynthia is now afraid to return to school.
The fear of a plane crash into the school haunts her all the time.
Shahabul Sheikh is also worried about his elder daughter.
He said, "Luckily, the elder child survived while trying to bring ice cream from the canteen for his younger sister. But how can I send her to school now? She doesn't want to go to school. She is in a state of trauma, if the plane explodes again!"
Relatives are heartbroken
Grief has permeated every corner of their native village.
The relatives and the locals were overwhelmed by the fateful incident.
Cynthia is not talking to anyone after losing her younger sister. Younger brother Rafsan still seems to be unable to wrap his head around the tragedy.
He keeps looking around the crowd, in search of his sister.
Like everyone else, Raisa's grandmother Monowara Begum, who is in her 60s, is stunned with grief.
She said, "Raisa used to say, Grandma, I will become a doctor when I grow up. I will take care of my parents. Just pray for me."
"Why did Allah take away our innocent child like this?' Monowara Begum laments.
The grief and tears of losing Raisa Moni are not only felt by her family, but have also reached beyond.
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