As the bodies of a young mother and her nine-month-old son were lowered side by side into the ground in Bagerhat early Saturday, the child’s father was behind bars - granted only a brief, final glimpse of his family at the gate of Jessore Central Jail.
Kanij Suborna Swarnali, 22, and her infant son, Sejad Hasan Nazif, were found dead in their home in Bekhedanga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila on Friday.
Suborna was found hanging, while the child’s body was recovered frozen.
Police said the cause of death would be determined after autopsy reports are received.
Suborna was married to Jewel Hasan, president of Bagerhat Sadar Upazila Chhatra League, who has been in prison since before the birth of his son.
Saddam was arrested from Gopalganj in April 2025. He is now in Jessore Jail facing 11 cases.
Of these, he is a named suspect in two, while he has been implicated as an accused in the others.
After post-mortem examinations at Bagerhat District Hospital on Saturday afternoon, the bodies were first taken to Suborna’s father’s home.
Later, around 4:15pm, they were transported to Jessore Central Jail so that Jewel could see his wife and child for the last time.
Prison officials said Jewel was not released on parole, but was allowed a brief viewing at the prison gate on humanitarian grounds.
Six family members were permitted to enter the gate area with the ambulance carrying the bodies.
“He never got to hold his child even once,” said Md Shuvo, Suborna’s brother.
“This was the first and last time he saw the baby. My sister was mentally broken. Society saw her only as a prisoner’s wife.”
The refusal to grant parole has sparked widespread sympathy and raised questions about the application of humanitarian provisions in Bangladesh’s parole system.
What the law allows
Under the Ministry of Home Affairs’ parole policy, updated in 2016 and still in force, prisoners may be temporarily released when close relatives, including spouses or children, die.
The district commissioner (DC), who also serves as district magistrate, is the authority empowered to grant parole.
The policy allows parole for up to 12 hours, during which the prisoner must remain under police guard.
If a prisoner is held in a district other than his own, the DC of the district where the prison is located may grant parole, taking distance and security into consideration.
What happened instead
According to Jewel’s relatives, they contacted prison authorities immediately after Suborna and her child died, hoping Jewel would be released briefly to attend the funeral.
“We tried, but he was not released on parole,” said his cousin, Sagar Faraji.
Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Golam Md Baten later said the family had been advised to apply to the Jessore district administration, as Jewel was being held there.
“The matter was explained to them,” he told meida.
However, the Jessore district administration said no written or verbal parole application was submitted to the Jessore DC.
Deputy Commissioner Ashek Hasan said his office received no such request.
Jessore Central Jail Warden Abid Ahmed told Dhaka Tribune that despite the absence of a formal parole order, authorities allowed Jewel to see the bodies at the prison gate “considering the humanitarian aspect”.
Additional Inspector General of Prisons Colonel Mohammad Mustafa Kamal told Dhaka Tribune that no parole application reached the prisons department either.
“If there had been an application, action would have been taken. There is no legal barrier to parole in such cases,” he said.
Adviser’s agriculture obsession
Adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, declined to comment on the issue of releasing Saddam.
Following a briefing on agriculture, the adviser invited questions from journalists.
When one reporter raised the Jessore incident, Chowdhury responded: “No, I will not give any answer except agriculture.”
Another journalist reminded him that he also serves as home affairs adviser.
Chowdhury replied: “No, I will call you during home affairs.”
When pressed further on his responsibility, he said: “No, I am not responsible. Today I called for agriculture. I will not talk about anything except agriculture. You will ask about agriculture. Since you do not talk about the problems of farmers. These are the problems.”
In response to another question, he added: “We are not against granting bail within the Chhatra League-Awami League, but against granting bail to criminals. You asked a question about agriculture.”
Between law and humanity
For Suborna’s family, the debate over procedure offers little comfort.
“She lived alone, carrying the weight of stigma and isolation,” said her brother. “In the end, even in death, there was no mercy.”
On Saturday, Suborna’s father filed a murder case against unknown persons at Hawladar Sadar Model Police Station. Police said further steps would be taken after the autopsy reports are reviewed.
As the investigation continues, the case has ignited a broader conversation about how compassion is exercised within legal systems, and how quickly society turns away from those living at its margins.
For one imprisoned father, the law allowed sympathy.
Circumstances, confusion and delay ensured he received only a farewell at the prison gate.
