Staff Reporter :
Jatiya Party (JaPa) Chairman and former President Hussain Muhammad Ershad was finally laid to eternal rest at Polli Nibash in his hometown of Rangpur on Tuesday evening.
The funeral processes were completed with the state honour around 6:05 pm in Rangpur under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army, reports Our Rangpur Correspondent.
Meanwhile, JaPa has issued a statement saying that Raushon Ershad, the deputy leader of the opposition in parliament, gave permission to bury her husband in Rangpur.
“It’s not possible to ignore the love and affection of the mass people of Rangpur for former President HM Ershad. So, the decision to bury him in Rangpur was taken considering the love and sentiment of the people of Rangpur,” a JaPa statement reads. Earlier, a helicopter of Bangladesh Air Force carrying the coffin of Ershad landed at Rangpur Cantonment around 11:30am. The fourth and final namaz-e-janaza of Ershad was held at Central Collectorate Eidgah in Rangpur around 2:30pm with the participation of thousands of people.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq, JaPa Acting Chairman and Ershad’s brother GM Quader, Party Secretary General Moshiur Rahman Ranga, former Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Ershad’s son Rahgir Al Mahi Shad Ershad, among others, were present on the occasion.
Earlier, Jatiya Party Acting Chairman GM Guader, Secretary General Moshiur Rahman Ranga, former Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Ershad’s son Rahgir Al Mahi Shad Ershad, among others, accompanied the body.
Later, military men carried ex-army chief and five-time MP, Ershad’s coffin, draped with an Army flag, near the grave around 5:35pm. A life sketch of the Jatiya Party Chairman was read out before observing a one-minute silence for him.
Huge Army personnel took position around the prepared grave before the burial to maintain discipline as thousands of people gathered there to bid farewell to their beloved leader.
On Sunday, Ershad died at the age of 89. The day JaPa leaders decided that he would be buried at Banani military graveyard in Dhaka. Contrarily local leaders and activists of JaPa urged Ersahd’s family to bury him at his residence in Rangpur.
Ershad’s younger brother and JaPa Acting Chairman GM Quader earlier in the day announced that Ershad would be burried in Rangpur to respond to the demand of local leaders and activists.
Later, expressing heartfelt gratitude to the people of Rangpur for their emotion, love and respect to HM Ershad, his wife Rowshan Ershad gave her consent for Ershad’s burial in Rangpur, said a press release of the JaPa.
Rowshan Ershad also requested the people, who were present there at that time of Ershad’s janaza, for keeping a piece of land so that she would be buried beside her husband.
Earlier, Ershad breathed his last around 7:45 am on Sunday while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka.
His first janaza was held at the Army Central Mosque in Dhaka on Sunday while two other janazas were held on Monday.
Ershad’s qulkhwani will be held on Wednesday at Gulshan’s Azad mosque in Dhaka.
He was admitted to the CMH on June 26 as he had been suffering from various old-age complications, including low haemoglobin, kidney and liver problem, high bilirubin and serious keen pain.
