‘She was more than just a teacher’

Around 12:50pm yesterday, a white ambulance entered the central field of Jahangirnagar University. Teachers, students, and staff rushed forward, gathering around the vehicle.

Inside lay the body of Jannatul Ferdous Moumita, an assistant professor in the Fine Arts department, who had been on duty during the Jucsu polls just hours earlier.

On the campus where she once studied and later built her academic career, her life came to an abrupt end. She was only 32.

Moumita, the department's first graduate to return as a teacher, joined as a lecturer in December 2021. She fell ill in the morning while working as a polling officer in the Jucsu polls and was later declared dead at Enam Medical College Hospital.

Just a day earlier, she had been on duty at Pritilata Hall. Yesterday, her janaza was held at the central field, attended by hundreds. As her body arrived, many stood in silence with tears in their eyes, while others wept openly. Friends embraced and consoled one another.

Students recalled seeing her healthy and energetic only days earlier.

"She was not just a teacher to us; she was like our elder sister. The place she held in our hearts, the way she taught us... this is an irreparable loss," said Jannatul Ferdous, a student.

Struggling to continue, she added, "On Sunday, she was supposed to teach us landscape drawing."

Another student, Oishi Sarker, said, "We started our first lessons with her. Whenever we went to her for personal or academic reasons, she never turned us away. She treated us like younger sisters, even counselling us when we were stressed. Accepting that she is gone is impossible."

Faculty members, too, were devastated. Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof Sohel Ahmed said, "Moumita was like my daughter. She would talk to me about many things."

Speaking after the janaza, Vice-Chancellor Prof Kamrul Ahsan said, "She was a young colleague who worked with great dedication."

Before the janaza, her body was placed in front of the old arts building, where colleagues and friends gathered for a final farewell.

"She was calm, humble, and gentle. I simply cannot come to terms with her sudden death," said Assistant Professor Asim Chandra Roy of the Fine Arts department.

Her department chair, Mohammad Shamim Reza, said, "She was my direct student -- always responsible and dedicated until the very end. Moumita wanted to take a day's rest, but this sudden duty was imposed on her. It may have caused immense mental pressure on her."

Later in the evening, her husband, Sirajul Islam Masum, carried her body to her ancestral home in Jelapara village of Pabna.

Grief engulfed the family home, where her parents -- both retired teachers -- live. Her father, Mustafizur Rahman Rumi, a former Bangla teacher at Chatmohar Degree College, was inconsolable.

"My daughter texted me in the morning, saying she was going to count votes. When I heard the news, I couldn't believe it," he said. "She had the dream to become a teacher, and her dream did come true. She was preparing to study abroad, but now she is gone…" he said, before breaking into tears.

Her mother, Lutfonnahar Poly, a retired political science teacher at Pabna College, was not in a condition to speak.

"We got married earlier this year. We didn't even get the chance to properly start our family life together," said Moumita's husband, Masum.

Moumita was laid to rest last night at Arifpur graveyard in Pabna Sadar upazila.