28 prominent citizens: Jamaat, which opposed independence, cannot decide who is a freedom fighter

Twenty-eight prominent citizens have expressed condemnation, concern and anger over the recent incident in Pirojpur in which Jamaat-e-Islami obstructed the burial of freedom fighter Manik Pashari and the provision of a state guard of honour. They said the incident has caused deep concern and anger among the public.

His burial was delayed for nearly 15 hours amid obstruction by local Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists. Only the state has the authority to determine whether someone officially recognised as a freedom fighter is indeed one. A party that opposed the country’s independence cannot decide, at any level, who is a freedom fighter and who is not, they said.

The statement said the situation that arose in Pirojpur following the death of freedom fighter Manik Pashari on 24 October, and the arrangements for his guard of honour and burial, was deeply regrettable, undesirable and reprehensible. According to information from various sources, after the grave was dug for the first time, local Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists had it filled in.

Later, at around 2:00 am, Manik Pashari’s daughter and two sisters dug the grave again with the help of village police, using the light from mobile phones. His burial was completed under police protection, nearly 15 hours after his death. Fifty-five years after independence, such circumstances surrounding the final farewell to a freedom fighter raise profound questions and concerns about our state, society and political culture, said the statement.

The signatories said freedom fighter Manik Pashari, a resident of Chitalia village in Shankarpasha Union of Pirojpur Sadar Upazila, had been staying at his daughter’s home in Gopalganj since the mass uprising of 5 August 2024. He died there on 24 October. In accordance with state rules, arrangements were made for his burial with a guard of honour as a freedom fighter.

However, Jamaat-e-Islami, the party that opposed the Liberation War during the country’s great struggle for independence, obstructed his burial by questioning whether he was a freedom fighter, they added.

The statement said, “Burial after a person’s death is a fundamental human right. No individual or group, not even the state, can violate this right. His body was subsequently taken to the Pirojpur Police Lines, where he was given a guard of honour. According to information available, his burial was delayed for nearly 15 hours amid obstruction by local Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists.”

“Naturally, the question arises: only the state has the authority to determine whether someone officially recognised as a freedom fighter is indeed one. The state may verify this if it ever considers such a step necessary. A party that opposed independence cannot decide, at any level, who is a freedom fighter and who is not,” added the statement.

The statement said that the party had not only opposed independence and the Liberation War in 1971, but that documentary evidence had established allegations of war crimes, including the killing of intellectuals, against many of its leaders. To this day, they have neither acknowledged responsibility for those crimes nor offered even a minimal public apology for opposing the Liberation War.

The signatories believe that what was done to Manik Pashari amounted to a criminal offence. They said, “Obstructing a person’s funeral prayers and burial because of their political views or past role is in no way acceptable. Giving the dead a proper and dignified burial is a religious obligation and a fundamental teaching of Islam and all other religions.”

“We have no words to express our condemnation of the disrespect shown to Manik Pashari in disregard of these teachings. We strongly demand that those involved in such criminal offences be brought to justice through a proper investigation and that appropriate and stringent legal action be taken against them,” they said.

The statement was signed by Sultana Kamal, Rasheda K Choudhury, Khushi Kabir, ZI Khan Panna, Iftekharuzzaman, Shaheen Anam, Rehnuma Ahmed, Shahidul Alam, Swapan Adnan, Shamsul Huda, Tabarak Hossain, Samina Luthfa, Sumaiya Khair, Tanzimuddin Khan, Robaet Ferdous, Zobaida Nasreen, Nova Ahmed, Zakir Hossain, Subrata Chowdhury, Salma Ali, Md Nur Khan, Pavel Partha, Rozina Begum, Saidur Rahman, Saeed Ahmed, Dipayan Khisa, Hana Shams Ahmed and Muktasree Chakma.