Birangana Afia Khatun Chowdhury Khanjani died at 9pm on Monday at her daughter's house near Purbo Bagichagao Bara Masjid of Comilla town.
She was 80 years old.
She has left behind a daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn her death. Her daughter Roksana Begum has confirmed the news.
Khanjani was the daughter of Hasmot Ali Chowdhury and Masuda Khatun and was born in 1939 at Boraiya Chowdhurybari of Feni district. In 1963 she married Ruhul Amin Manik alias Hekmot Ali of Sonapur village in Jagannath Dighi union, under Chauddagram upazila of Comilla. They had a daughter and a son together. Hekmot Ali died in 1966 while working at the electricity department of Chittagong.
Local Liberation War researchers learnt that there was a Pakistani military camp near Khanjani’s in-law’s house in 1971. The Pakistani occupation forces captured beautiful girls from surrounding villages and tortured them in the camp. Khanjani too was very beautiful. After her husband’s death she was brought to the camp with the help of local Rajakars (Pakistani collaborators) and was held there till Comilla became independent on December 8.
Even while she was a hostage she helped the poor people of the area by secretly supplying them food. But after Bangladesh became independent all her relatives cut ties with her and sent her away from the village. This pushed her toward mental instability. However, the relatives raised her daughter Roksana. They also got Roksana married. In her deranged state, Khanjani lived in her paternal house in Feni; she was taken to Comilla about a decade ago and looked after by Roksana till she breathed her last on Monday.
The government took notice of Khanjani when a news media brought her story to light in 2015, and the local administration and Freedom Fighters’ Assembly then came forward to help her. In 2018 the government recognized her as a Birangana (War heroine).
Her first Namaz-e-janaza was held on on Monday morning. Her body was then taken to Sonapur village of Chauddagram upazila. She was buried there at around 2pm after a second Namaz-e-janaza.
Masud Rana , Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Chauddagram, said: “She was given a guard of honour before her burial; upazila administration laid her to rest with full state honours.”
