bdnews24.com :
The family of chef Saiful Islam, who was shot dead alongside five militants at Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery on Jul 1 last year, is livid with the fact that they were not handed his dead body.
Saiful was first shown as a militant following the operation that followed the nation’s deadliest terror attack and three months later, he was buried.
His remains were not handed to his family and buried near the graves of
the five identified militants of the so-called Islamic State or IS.
The family members still shed tears and feel anguish as Saiful was shown as a militant.
Saiful’s wife Sonia Akhter, who was seven months into pregnancy at that time, is struggling with poverty with their three children. Her elder brother, an expat in Malaysia, is taking care of them.
Saiful’s mother, whose DNA was checked in Dhaka afterwards, says: “He (Saiful) was wearing the apron and still was shown as a militant. We could not even bury his body.”
Sonia said, she spoke to her husband for the last time on the evening of July 1, hours before the mayhem started.
Gunmen barged into the upscale Gulshan cafe, frequented by foreigners mostly, on July 1. Security forces found 20 bodies the next morning following a commando operation.
The IS claimed the attack and published photos of their men who died in suicidal attacks.
But, Bangladesh police published six photos including one of the chef, clad in white apron. His relatives identified him later. Saiful hailed from Kolukathi village in Shariatpur. After living in Germany for 10 years, he joined Holey Artisan as a pizza chef in early 2015.
His family said they have received no assistance from the government.
Saiful’s mother’s DNA was checked in Dhaka and local MPs also submitted necessary certificates when the investigation was on for three months. But, in the end, Saiful was shown unclaimed and buried at the same spot where the militants were buried, say his family.
The family of chef Saiful Islam, who was shot dead alongside five militants at Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery on Jul 1 last year, is livid with the fact that they were not handed his dead body.
Saiful was first shown as a militant following the operation that followed the nation’s deadliest terror attack and three months later, he was buried.
His remains were not handed to his family and buried near the graves of
the five identified militants of the so-called Islamic State or IS.
The family members still shed tears and feel anguish as Saiful was shown as a militant.
Saiful’s wife Sonia Akhter, who was seven months into pregnancy at that time, is struggling with poverty with their three children. Her elder brother, an expat in Malaysia, is taking care of them.
Saiful’s mother, whose DNA was checked in Dhaka afterwards, says: “He (Saiful) was wearing the apron and still was shown as a militant. We could not even bury his body.”
Sonia said, she spoke to her husband for the last time on the evening of July 1, hours before the mayhem started.
Gunmen barged into the upscale Gulshan cafe, frequented by foreigners mostly, on July 1. Security forces found 20 bodies the next morning following a commando operation.
The IS claimed the attack and published photos of their men who died in suicidal attacks.
But, Bangladesh police published six photos including one of the chef, clad in white apron. His relatives identified him later. Saiful hailed from Kolukathi village in Shariatpur. After living in Germany for 10 years, he joined Holey Artisan as a pizza chef in early 2015.
His family said they have received no assistance from the government.
Saiful’s mother’s DNA was checked in Dhaka and local MPs also submitted necessary certificates when the investigation was on for three months. But, in the end, Saiful was shown unclaimed and buried at the same spot where the militants were buried, say his family.
