Kanij Subarna, the wife of Chhatra League leader and her nine-month-old child, who were imprisoned in Jessore jail, were buried in the former Danga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila on Saturday midnight.
But before this burial, her last meeting with the child’s father, Jewel Hasan Saddam, was at the gates of Jessore prison, which has caused an uproar across the country. Social media has been awash in anger, discontent and accusations of inhumanity.
After a post by poet Imtiaz Mahmood, “Dead child goes to meet his living father,” went viral, many people expressed outrage by making posters and photocards using this line.
However, in addition to widespread anger, dissatisfaction, some have said on social media, “Even during the Awami League period, such or more inhumane incidents have taken place”.
Mr. BBC Bangla. Saddam’s brother Md. Shahidul Islam said, “My brother did not hold the child even at the prison gate because he could not hold the child alive. He just patted his head and said – I could not be a good father, father, forgive me.”
A total of nine people including him were killed at the gate of Jessore prison on Saturday with his wife and child. Attended Saddam’s last meeting.
Before this, the family members Mr. Saddam’s parole application went to Bagerhat District Commissioner, but from there they were sent to the prison administration without officially accepting the application.
Mr. Bagerhat prison administration took the body to the gate of Jessore prison. Family members said they were assured they would be able to meet Saddam.
Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Abdul Baten says, after the family members approached them, they explained that they have to apply to Jashore Jail Superintendent or Deputy Commissioner.
“The Jail Superintendent of Bagerhat has also discussed with Jessore Jail. They have accordingly gone to Jessore for a meeting. We have cooperated,” he told BBC Bangla.
On the other hand, Jessore Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ashek Hasan told BBC Bangla that they have not received any such application.
However, human rights activists say the whole incident reveals an ‘inhuman face’ of the state.
According to them, advising the family to show the body at the jail gate after wasting hours in the name of application process is a form of ‘cruelty’.
The details are known
Bagerhat Sadar Upazila President Jewel Hasan Saddam has been in hiding since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024 in Bangladesh. Later, the police arrested him from Gopalganj at the beginning of April last year.
Since then he is in jail in several cases. Although some of his political colleagues wrote on social media that Mr. Saddam went to Calcutta after the fall of the Awami League government.
Later he returned home and was arrested from Gopalganj while in hiding and his wife was pregnant when he was arrested. His wife lived in Bagerhat in the same house with her mother-in-law and nuns.
“After the birth of the child, she went five times to the gate of the prison to bring the child to her husband. Each time she went with the hope of handing the child over to her father. But each time she was arrested and taken back to jail. She was mentally broken,” said Shahidul Islam.
On Friday, the police recovered the body of Kaniz Subarna hanging from the house of former Danga village of Upazila Sadar. At that time, the body of her 9-month-old baby was on the floor next to her.
Later, the family tried to apply for parole to bring Jewel Hassan Saddam to the funeral after the autopsy at Bagerhat hospital.
Kaniz Subarna’s brother Shah Nawaz Amin Shuvo told BBC Bangla that Saddam’s maternal uncle appealed to the district administration as per the decision after family discussion but they did not accept it.
According to family members, they were sent to the Jail Superintendent after applying to the Bagerhat district administration. Then he sent to the jailer.
“From the jail office it is being told to take the body to Jessore, you will get 5 minutes there. Don’t make a fuss about it,” a family member told BBC Bangla.
Shahidul Islam, however, says that on Saturday afternoon they took a freezing ambulance from Bagerhat to Jessore and left from there at 8:00 PM and came back to Bagerhat at 11:00 PM and completed the funeral after the funeral.
‘His father did not hold the child’
An official of Jessore prison administration said that the jurisdiction of the Deputy Commissioner to release the prisoner on parole. As they did not have that permission, after coming to Karafat with the body, they allowed Jewel Hasan Saddam to see him out of humanitarian consideration.
With two dead bodies and a few other family members after reaching Karaft, Mr. Saddam was brought there. He was not handcuffed then.
“He didn’t hold the baby anymore. He told us that he couldn’t take it while he was still alive. Now what to do with him. Then he patted the baby’s head and said – I couldn’t be a good father, father, forgive me. He said to Bhabhi – I couldn’t be a good husband, forgive me. Then he picked up a piece of soil from there and told me to put it on my wife’s grave. That’s what we did,” said Mr. Saddam’s brother Shahidul Islam.
He said that after bringing them back to Bagerhat, the two were buried at around 11:30 in the night.
image source, Getty Images
Noise, reaction, anger
Since Friday night, pictures of the frozen bodies of Kaniz Subarna and her infant child started circulating on social media. At some point the news came up in some media.
After that various news started circulating about the application of parole to see their dead bodies and attend the funeral. At one point on Saturday, the photo of Jewel Hassan Saddam meeting his dead wife and children in Karaft went viral.
In one such picture, some of the policemen present there are also seen hiding their eyes in tears. After that, social media became rich in various types of graphics, pictures and writings.
After a post by poet Imtiaz Mahmood, “Dead child goes to meet his living father,” went viral, many people expressed outrage by making posters and photocards using this line.
Some say that the incident of not releasing the imprisoned BCL leader on parole is cruel and inhumane, while others say that such an incident happened during the Awami League period as well. Some people say that even if it happened before, why will it still happen?
Human rights organizer Noor Khan Liton says that the ruthlessness of the state and the law has been exposed again in this incident.
“But if the Bagerhat and Jessore district administrations were a little more humane, a prisoner would have got a chance to say a proper last farewell to his dead wife and children,” he told BBC Bengal.
Saidur Rahman, editor of Human Rights Culture Foundation or MSF, says that they have information that what the administration is saying about the parole application is not true at all.
“The Bagerhat and Jessore prisons have been informed in writing. But they did not pay any attention. This is the reality. All in all, what has happened is a crime. Earlier, even if they were handcuffed or shackled, at least there would have been parole. But now, parole is not happening,” he told BBC Bangla.
image source, facebook.com/imtiazmahmud.mahmud.98
However, the Jessore district administration has sent a statement to the media in the context of intense criticism regarding the non-release of parole after the death of the wife and children.
It is said there, “In connection with the death of the wife and child of a prisoner named Jewel Hasan Saddam, who came from Bagerhat Jail to Jessore Central Jail on 15th December, the family has not filed any application for parole with the learned District Magistrate, Jessore or Jessore Central Jail authorities”.
“Instead, following the oral request of the family, the jail authorities spoke to the higher authorities and arranged for the body to be displayed at the jail gate on humanitarian grounds,” the district administration said in a statement.
Later, in a notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs, it was also said, “No application has been made by his family to the Jessore Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate or the Jessore Central Jail authorities for the release on parole of the prisoner Jewel Hasan Saddam, detained in Jessore Central Jail due to the death of his wife and child”.
It is said, “According to the verbal intention of Saddam’s family, it was decided to display the bodies of the wife and children at Jessore Jailgate. Considering the humanitarian aspect, Jessore District Administration and Jessore Central Jail have given maximum cooperation in this regard.”
However, the family members say that even though they applied, it was not taken into consideration.
