Staff Reporter :
The authorities have now withdrawn the assistant superintendent of police of Brahmanbaria’s Sarail Circle over law enforcement’s failure to prevent tens of thousands of people from joining the funeral prayers of an Islamic party leader, ignoring a lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Police Headquarters in a statement on Sunday announced the withdrawal of ASP Masud Rana, a day after Sarail Police OC Shahadat Hossain Titu was relieved of his duties over the debacle.
Police have also launched a probe into the incident with Chattogram Range’s Additional DIG Iqbal Hossain leading the investigation as part of a three-strong committee.
The committee has been given until Apr 22 to submit its report.
Sarail Police Inspector Nurul Hoque has also been attached to the police lines as a consequence of the in, the district’s Superintendent of Police Anisur Rahman told The New Nation
The authorities were forced to take the drastic measures in the face of widespread criticism after reports and images of thousands of people, seemingly disregarding the risk of contagion, attending the Namaz-e-Janaza for Moulana Zubair Ahmad Ansari emerged on Saturday, sending shockwaves across the country.
Ansari passed away at his residence in Brahmanbaria’s Markas Para at the age of 59. He had contested the 1996 election from his home constituency and lost. The prayer service for the Islamic leader took place at Jamia Rahmania Bertala Madrasa premises in Sarail at 10 am on Saturday. Local administrators were out of their wits to explain the massive turnout when the government has already imposed curbs on congregational prayers at mosques to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The rows of mourners stretched from the premises of a madrasa, all the way down to Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, raising concerns about the risks of contagion particularly in light of the recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths throughout the country.
Top Islamic leaders in the district, madrasa students and ordinary people attended the funeral overseen by Ansari’s son Hafiz Moulana Asadullah.
The police were present but they remained on the sidelines. Shahadat earlier said many people from as far as Dhaka came to join the funeral prayers.
“We never thought there would be this many people. There was nothing we could do once the crowd began streaming in,” he said.
Experts around the world have stressed the need to practise social distancing, urging people to keep a gap of at least three feet from others in order to limit the risk of infection.
Bangladesh has also imposed a lockdown, banning large gatherings and asking citizens to remain indoors as much as possible to maintain social distancing.
Brahmanbaria was already under lockdown at the time of Ansari’s death. Sarail Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Saleh Md Musa said the organisers did not take permission from the local administration before holding the funeral.
Besides, local administration on Sunday put seven villages in Sarail and Ashuganj upazilas under lockdown aiming to minimize the risks of coronavirus transmission as a huge number of people gathered at a funeral prayer in the area on Saturday violating the social distancing rule.
Md Alamgir Hossain, addition superintendent, said they put Shantinagar, Sitaharan, Boroibari and Bertala villages in Sarail upazila and Khariala, Bogoir, and Moishai villages in Ashuganj upazila under lockdown.
The residents of the village have been asked to stay at home for the next 14 days, he added.
