Freedom fighters in Pirojpur are seething with anger over the incident where the guard of honour and burial of valiant freedom fighter Manik Pashari were obstructed. Strongly protesting this incident, they have demanded that the culprits be identified through an impartial investigation and brought under legal action.
These demands were raised on Saturday (October 31) at 11:00 AM during a protest meeting held at the District Freedom Fighter Union office on Shaheed Omar Faruk Road in Pirojpur town. The meeting was organized under the banner of the District Freedom Fighter Union and the Muktijuddher Projonmo (Generation of 1971).
Presided over by wartime camp commander and freedom fighter Obaidul Kabir Badal, the meeting was moderated by freedom fighter Md. Fazlul Haque Centu. Speeches were delivered by wartime camp commander and freedom fighter Nur Dida Khaled Rabi, freedom fighter Abdus Salam Baten, M.A. Rabbani Firoz, Abdul Mannan Dorani, Akram Khan, Abdur Rashid Howlader, S.M. Dulal, Moshiur Rahman, Mahbubur Rahman, Zainal Abedin, Nityananda Roy, and Pirojpur District Convener of Muktijuddher Projonmo Gazi Kamruzzaman Shubhra.
Speakers at the meeting said that Manik Pashari is a gazetted valiant freedom fighter. If anyone had questions or objections regarding his identity as a freedom fighter, it could have been verified through proper evidence by relevant government authorities. However, creating obstacles to his state honors and burial after death is completely unacceptable. This incident is not merely a matter of personal dignity for a single freedom fighter, but is tied to the honor and respect of all valiant freedom fighters of the country. Therefore, a fair and impartial investigation must be conducted to take legal action against those involved.
Read nextMixed Reactions in Parbatipur Over Absence of Local MP's Name on LAMB Hospital’s Invitation CardEarlier, on October 29, under the initiative of the Pirojpur Sadar Upazila Freedom Fighter Command Unit, a human chain and protest program was held on the road in front of the upazila freedom complex building in town. Valiant freedom fighters from various unions and the municipality of Pirojpur Sadar upazila, leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Muktijuddher Projonmo, and children of freedom fighters participated in it.
Notably, valiant freedom fighter Manik Pashari passed away on the morning of October 24 in Tungipara, Gopalganj. Later, when his body was brought to Pirojpur, obstacles were created regarding his guard of honour and burial. They staged demonstrations in Pirojpur town and the area surrounding Manik Pashari's ancestral home. Slogans were reportedly chanted stating that he would not be allowed to be buried on Pirojpur soil.
At one point in the situation, that afternoon, Manik Pashari was given a guard of honour inside the Pirojpur Police Lines under police security. Later in the deep night, under police guard, his burial was completed at the family graveyard in his ancestral village of Chithlia under Shankarpara union of Pirojpur Sadar upazila.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Hasan Mamun, Pirojpur, Correspondent • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
