A 20-year-old Bangladeshi student, who was at the Dhaka cafe when it was stormed by militants, had the option of fleeing to safety after the hostage-takers let him go but chose to stand by his friends.
Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain has garnered widespread praise on social media, with netizens hailing him as “hero.”
Hossain, who was studying at Emory University in Atlanta, U.S., had come to Bangladesh with two friends — Abinta Kabir and Tarishi Jain.
The militants allowed Hossain to flee, according to a freed hostage. But he refused to leave his friends and was subsequently killed.
Businessman Rezaul Karim, whose son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were taken hostage but later freed, told The Daily Star : “My daughter-in-law told me that she heard a Bangladeshi youth refused to leave the restaurant when militants offered to free him.”
“They wouldn’t let two of his friends go,” he said.
The mortal remains of Hossain's friend Tarishi Jain were consigned to flames at the crematorium in Gurgaon on Monday.
