Freedom fighter Manik Pashari’s burial in Pirojpur: Relatives and locals recount events

Chitalia village lies about eight kilometres from Pirojpur Sadar. It was here that relatives buried freedom fighter Manik Pashari in the family graveyard at the dead of night on Saturday, amid fear and panic. Police personnel were present there at the time.

When this correspondent visited Manik Pashari’s home in Pirojpur Sadar upazila around 12:00 pm on Monday, no one was there. An eerie silence hung over the area. A little further along was the home of his sister, Hena, 48. After being called several times, she came out of the house but did not want to speak about her brother’s death or burial. At one point, she began to cry.

After a while, Hena composed herself and said they had been threatened that Manik Pashari’s body would be burned, that the body would be held back and that family members would not be allowed to enter their house. They had even been threatened that young children in the area would not be allowed to go outside.

Further along from Hena’s house is the home of Manik Pashari’s other sister, Rina, 60. Recalling the events of that day, she said the situation surrounding the burial had deteriorated to such an extent that she was afraid to leave her home for fear of her safety.

Both sisters said that, because of the threats, many relatives and neighbours did not dare to help them. They also struggled to find people willing to dig a grave for their brother’s burial.

Manik Pashari had testified before the International Crimes Tribunal against Delawar Hossain Sayedee, a former Jamaat-e-Islami leader, in a case involving crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

Family members said Manik Pashari had been staying at his son-in-law’s home in Tungipara, Gopalganj, since 5 August 2024. After remaining ill for two months, he died there at around 10:00 am on Saturday.

Tensions arose on Saturday over the decision to give Manik Pashari a guard of honour in Pirojpur. Some local residents demanded that he not be buried there. At the time, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists were seen taking up positions and gathering at various key locations across Pirojpur town.

Family members and local residents said that relatives and acquaintances had gathered at the family graveyard in Chitalia village to await the funeral prayers for Manik Pashari.

The nine local residents whom Prothom Alo spoke to on Monday were unwilling to speak on the record. All said they feared that speaking publicly could put their safety at risk.

One local resident alleged that Muin Uddin, a former leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir at Pirojpur Government Suhrawardy College, also known as Chhoto Muin, arrived in Chitalia village with several people on seven motorcycles. One of them was carrying a locally made weapon. A few of them then entered the graveyard, filled the dug grave with soil and hurled abuses.

Speaking to two other residents about the incident, it was learnt that after filling in the grave, the group left, and more people arrived in the area from the direction of Parerhat Bazar. A procession of around 150 people was chanting various slogans. Slogans such as “Manik Pashari will not be buried on Pirojpur soil” and “Burn down Manik Pashari’s den” spread panic in the area.

When spoken to local residents it was revealed that after the grave was filled in it left people fearful and anxious about what might happen next. Because of this, many of those waiting for the funeral prayers left citing concerns for their safety.

Another person, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some people in the area in various ways intimidated those who had come to attend the burial and drove them away. They were told that eight people who were running around with the body had already been sued, that women had also been named in the case, and that female police officers would arrive. These remarks left many of them frightened.

Local Jamaat-e-Islami and Shibir leaders and activists have been accused of being involved in creating panic before the freedom fighter’s body was buried. Prothom Alo tried to contact several senior leaders of the district Jamaat-e-Islami Monday for comment, but none answered their phones.

However, on Saturday night, Zahirul Haque, secretary of Pirojpur district Jamaat-e-Islami unit, told Prothom Alo, “We had no objection to Manik Pashari’s burial. However, we did not provide any assistance with the burial either. We know nothing about whose patronage the burial took place under or whether the administration assisted it.”

After Manik Pashari’s death, his relatives brought his body by ambulance from Gopalganj to Pirojpur Sadar Upazila Parishad at around 12:00 pm on Saturday. The body was later taken to Pirojpur Police Lines, where he was given a guard of honour.

Mohammad Faruk, Manik Pashari’s son-in-law, told Prothom Alo, “When the guard of honour was given inside the police lines, I was the only close one present for the funeral prayers. A few police personnel were also present there. None of his other relatives could attend the prayers.”

Family members said they learnt at around 11:00 pm on Saturday that the body might be taken out of the police lines for burial once the situation had calmed down somewhat. They immediately made arrangements to dig the grave again, but could not find anyone willing to help.

A local resident, 43, came forward to help Manik Pashari’s sisters dig the grave that day. He told Prothom Alo that one of the sisters had approached him in tears, saying they could not find anyone to dig a grave so that they could lay their brother to rest.

“Seeing her crying moved me. I then gathered the courage to go out. I dug the earth with a hoe, while the three sisters removed the soil. Later, a member of the village police also helped. Another person had also come to help dig the grave,” he said.

Manik Pashari’s body was buried in the graveyard at his home at around 1.30 am early on Sunday. His family members and relatives were present at the burial. Local residents said the burial was ultimately possible because the police were there.

Manik Pashari’s only son, Asadul, 36, died of cancer five months ago. Family members said they had been devastated by Manik Pashari’s death and the circumstances surrounding his burial before they had even recovered from the grief of losing Asadul.

Family members said Manik Pashari’s actual house was burned down in a fire after 5 August 2024. His small shop was also destroyed by the fire. The wife of his late son, Asadul, lived in a room beside the house. Amid the fear and insecurity caused by the events surrounding her father-in-law’s burial, she left the house that night.

Manik Pashari’s family members alleged that the tensions and threats surrounding the burial had prevented them from even mourning in peace. The threats have now left family members feeling unsafe. Although Manik Pashari has been buried, his family members have yet to overcome their fear. They said they continued to feel unsafe even after the burial.

Manik Pashari’s sister Hena said that, because of the intimidation and threats they faced before the burial, they still did not feel safe enough to move around as usual. They remain concerned about people moving around the house and fear that further unpleasant incidents might occur.

When asked about the matter, Pirojpur Sadar Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Md Shariful Islam said, “If anyone files a complaint with us, we will take steps to ensure their safety to the fullest extent possible.”