FF Ismail buried without state honour over false letter

The second wife of deceased freedom fighter Ismail Hossain at a press conference yesterday claimed that he was deprived of state honour after death due to a letter falsely attributed to him.

“I demand that the government find out and punish the people, who were involved with the conspiracy that deprived state honour to my freedom fighter husband,” Ismail’s second wife Morzina Begum said at a press conference at Bochaganj Upazila Parishad Bungalow in Dinajpur.

Mosaddeq Hossain, son of Ismail and Morzina, read out his mother’s written statement there.

“My husband never told me anything about the letter, which claims rejection of the state honour,” said Morzina, who lived with Ismail at a rented house at Setabganj Bazar (Masterpara) in Bochaganj upazila.

The ailing freedom fighter was taken to Bochaganj Upazila Health Complex on October 20 and later shifted to M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital in Dinajpur the next day, where he died on October 23.

“The body was forcibly taken to his home village Jugibari in Dinajpur Sadar upazila and buried there the next day without state honour. My husband’s first wife and their children, including Nur Islam, had not inquired of him for a long time,” said Morzina. 

“I demand that the government pay state honour to my late husband,” she said.

Morzina, however, failed to give any satisfactory answer when asked why she raised the issues after quite a few days of her husband’s death.

Ismail’s son Nur Islam, working as a daily pay-basis driver of Dinajpur Sadar upazila AC (Land) office, was sacked on October 9.

According to Nur’s claim, his father on October 22 wrote a letter addressed to local lawmaker M Iqbalur Rahim, saying that he would not receive state honour from the officials who made his son jobless.

Ariful Islam, the AC (Land), then told the media that Nur Islam was sacked as he was a drunkard and his driving was rough.