Jamaat-Shibir men barred farmer Sofed Ali from having his son’s post-mortem examination and bathing of the corpse before burial since he was termed a “martyr.”
Eighth-grader at a local madrasa Arijul Islam, 14, was a Shibir activist. He was shot dead during violent clashes between the BGB and the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir at Goranbaria of Kolaroa on December 3.
Even his father believes that students of madrasa are meant to become Shibir activists. Sofed Ali is a firm believer of Jamaat-Shibir propaganda, and is unwilling to accept a reality otherwise.
Despite losing his son, Sofed Ali appeared to be highly spirited on December 27 when this reporter met him.
After his son’s death, Sofed Ali had to bury his son without a bath as the Jamaat-Shibir men suggested that a “martyr” should not be subjected to the last bath before burial, let alone an autopsy.
Same was in the case of brothers Arif Billah and Ruhul Amin, who were killed in BGB firing on March 4 afternoon at Ufapur village in Kolaroa. They were buried unbathed as “martyrs.”
Their elder brother, who preferred to be anonymous, said his brothers put spirit above everything. “They were labourers, who worked on condition that they would be given space when the party needs them.”
Most of the Goranbaria villagers are considered as Jamaat-Shibir supporters who have played a key role in snapping the road communication of Satkhira with rest of the country for several weeks last month.
They began staging all-out demonstrations in February last year and have been guarding the roads around the village since the month of Ramadan in July.
Moreover, even though Sofed Ali could hardly afford to arrange a programme on the fourth day of his son’s death, on that day he entertained over 5,000 people in a traditional ceremony of feeding locals.
As many as 33 dekchi (large pan for cooking) of Khichuri was cooked at the event when some 140 volunteers worked to serve the attendees, said Akbar Ali, Arijul’s next-door neighbour. The money was raised from the villagers by the Jamaat-Shibir men, he added.
Shibir men spent Tk28,000 for cementing the grave and raising a brick wall around it. The wall is covered with expensive tiles.
Sofed Ali believes that “real Koshai Quader” is still alive and currently working as a government employee. He claims that father of the executed Quader Molla had introduced Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman into politics.
“Delawar Hossain Sayedee is blamed for the crimes committed by one Delu Shikder,” he said.
Jamaat’s preparing the ground for anti-government and anti-war tribunal activities worked perfectly on February 28 last year when its leader Sayedee was given death sentence for crimes against humanity. Thousands of people flooded the district town following a rumour that Sayedee’s face had been seen on the moon as a sign of Allah’s disappointment over the verdict.
Jamaat-Shibir cadres from the district and adjacent district Jessore led the mob to the district Circuit House for setting it on fire. Seven Jamaat-Shibir activists were shot dead as law enforcers tried to protect the government establishment.
After failing to set the district town on fire, Jamaat switched to its plan B – spreading violence throughout the district. Hundreds of trees were chopped to block roads, participated by ordinary villagers, who hurled bricks and crude bombs at the law enforcers. The roads were dug up to obstruct movement of vehicles, mainly those of the law enforcers.
Loudspeakers of mosques were used in many cases during law enforcers’ drives to announce that the Indian force had intruded and the villagers should come out with arms to resist them.
At Agardari, known as Jamaat-Shibir Cantonment in Satkhira, an announcement was made on December 15 asking villagers to come out. The joint force convoy of about 40 vehicles had to retreat from their operation against criminals responsible for the recent violence.
Political abuse of Islam in the bordering district evolved after the India-Pakistan partition in 1947. Hindu elites from the area migrated to India and the places were filled by the Muslims returning from India. Another such religious exodus took place in 1965 and an anti-India sentiment was sowed in the minds of the people by Muslim League.
Khan A Sabur, a Muslim League politician, had been elected lawmaker from Khulna until 1969. Muslim League won all the three constituencies by a huge margin in the 1969 election. It is the base of Muslim League on which Jamaat made its foundation in Satkhira.
Jamaat continued to win parliamentary elections from constituencies in Satkhira until 1991, when the Awami League won a seat for the first time. Senior Jamaat leader Shamsur Rahman was the secretary of Satkhira Peace Committee in 1971. He was a four-time lawmaker from Satkhira 2 from 1986 to 2001. Jamaat had always an upper hand in the parliamentary elections in Satkhira except for the 1996 and 2008 elections.
