Sayeedi case plaintiff buried secretly as wife, daughter and sister dig grave

Manik Pashari, the complainant and one of the prosecution’s key witnesses in the crimes against humanity case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee, was buried in Pirojpur nearly 17 hours after his death, following a day of uncertainty and complications over his burial and the provision of a state guard of honour.

He was buried at his family home in Shankarpasha union of Pirojpur Sadar upazila around 2am on Sunday. Shariful Islam, officer-in-charge of Pirojpur Sadar police station, confirmed the burial.

Earlier, local Jamaat leaders and activists had opposed the guard of honour and his burial in Pirojpur, claiming that Pashari was not a genuine freedom fighter.

According to family members and police, Pashari, 87, died around 10am on Saturday while staying in Tungipara, Gopalganj. His body was taken to the Pirojpur Sadar upazila parishad premises at around noon, where relatives faced opposition from local Jamaat activists. Police subsequently took it to the police lines.

A guard of honour was given to Pashari around 5pm at the police lines, away from public view. For security reasons, his body was then kept in police custody. It reached his family home in Shankarpasha around 1am, with assistance from Sadar police.

Local sources said that after the body was handed over to the family, some local Jamaat activists and supporters gathered again and obstructed efforts to bury him at his home. There were also reports of people gathering at various points along the route from the police lines to Shankarpasha.

After a day of uncertainty and complications, Pashari’s wife, daughter, sister and other female family members began digging his grave themselves, using the light from their mobile phones. He was finally buried around 2am, with a few local residents present.

Pashari’s sister said a grave had initially been dug after the body was brought to Pirojpur, but local Jamaat activists filled it back in with soil. The family later dug another grave and completed the burial after police brought the body home. She said no male member of the family was present at the time.

Abdur Razzak, assistant secretary of Pirojpur district Jamaat-e-Islami, denied allegations that the burial had been obstructed. He said no leader of the district organisation or its affiliated bodies had prevented the burial. Instead, he claimed, Jamaat members had helped police ensure that it was completed.

Family members, however, said the administration had failed to provide the necessary assistance over the burial, leaving them anxious and uncertain.

Faruk Hossain, Pashari’s son-in-law, said the family went to see Upazila Nirbahi Officer Iftekharul Islam Shamim at around noon and was told to wait until 5pm because a guard of honour would be provided. He alleged that the body was kept in an ordinary ambulance for hours before the guard of honour was given discreetly. The family was then left uncertain about where the body could be buried, he said.

Shariful Islam, the officer-in-charge of Pirojpur Sadar police station, said the burial had been completed under tight police security. Additional police personnel had been deployed beside the grave, he added.

Pashari was a resident of Ward 7 in Chitalia village, Shankarpasha union, in Pirojpur Sadar upazila. He was the complainant and one of the prosecution’s principal witnesses in the case against Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee before the International Crimes Tribunal, which tried crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

Following the political changeover in August 2024, Pashari initially took refuge in Jashore and later moved to his son-in-law’s home in Tungipara, Gopalganj. Family members said he had been ill for the past two months before his death.