Birangana Jogmaya Malo passes away

Liberation war heroine Birangana Jogmaya Malo passed away in Shariatpur on Monday (January 5) at the age of 69.

Shariatpur Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Elora Yasmin said Jogmaya Malo died in afternoon after battling complex illnesses linked to old age.

Her last rites were held with state honours at 4:30pm, followed by cremation at the Manohar Bazar Municipality crematorium later in the evening.

As a mark of respect, her body was wrapped in the national flag and she was accorded a state salute, UNO Elora Yasmin said.

According to family members and administration sources, on 22 May 1971, Pakistani occupation forces and their collaborators carried out a brutal attack in Madhyapara village of Shariatpur Sadar Upazila, killing several members of Jogmaya Malo's family. She was then only 15 years old. She was detained and taken to A R Howlader Jute Mills in Madaripur, where she was subjected to prolonged torture.

After the Liberation War, she returned to her husband and children, but her struggles continued in post-war life. For years, she lived in poverty without a permanent home. Despite repeated appeals, government assistance was reportedly slow to arrive.

In 2018, Jogmaya Malo was officially recognised by the state as a Birangana. However, her economic hardship persisted until her story drew public attention through media reports. On the eve of Victory Day (16 December), the Shariatpur district administration gifted her a 'Bir Nibas' pucca [brick built] house, with the government formally handing over the keys on Victory Day. She spent her final days in that home.