In the political atmosphere in which he spent his days, Russel had his bicycle as constant companionship. He was especially attached to his father, of whom he saw very little. On August 15, after everyone else had been assassinated in the family, Russel pleaded to be taken to his mother. The killers, in a macabre moment, made him walk past the bodies of his close ones. Finally, when he confronted his mother's body sprawled in the lobby, he burst into tears. Take me to Hashu Apa' he said. Hashu Apa was Sheikh Hasina, who was then abroad. Moments later, the assassins put a bullet into Russel, silencing him for good.