Freedom fighter Manik Pashari, a key witness in a crimes against humanity case against late Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee, was buried at Chitolia village in Pirojpur Sadar upazila amid tight police security early Sunday.
Police buried the body on the premises of his home around 2am.
Earlier, when the body was brought on Pirojpur Sadar Upazila Parishad premises on Saturday noon the family members faced protests from local Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, activists and some local people, claimed his family members.
The body was later taken to the police lines with police assistance.
After a guard of honour around 5pm, police from Pirojpur Sadar Police Station kept the body under tight security.
Around 1am, police took it to his home where the burial was completed an hour later in the presence of his wife, children and local residents.
Abdur Razzak, assistant secretary of Pirojpur district Jamaat-e-Islami, said no leaders of the party or its affiliated organisations obstructed the burial.
Jamaat leaders do not engage in the politics of corpses, he said, adding that they fully cooperated with police to complete the burial.
Officer-in-Charge of Pirojpur Sadar Police Station Md Shariful Islam said the burial was completed under tight security.
Additional police personnel have been deployed near the grave to prevent any untoward incident, he added.
Earlier, Manik Pashari’s sister, Mosammat Rina Akter, said the family brought her brother’s body to Pirojpur for burial but faced difficulties when they could not proceed with the burial.
Manik Pashari was a resident of Ward No. 7 in Chitolia village under Shankarpasha Union.
After the mass uprising in July-August 2024, Pashari reportedly remained in hiding in Jashore and Gopalganj districts.
Family members said the freedom fighter breathed his last around 10am on Saturday at his daughter’s father-in-law’s house in Tungipara area of Gopalganj.
He had been staying there after remaining in hiding for a long period and had been ill for about two months.
On February 8, 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Sayedee to death for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
The verdict triggered clashes between police and Jamaat-e-Islami supporters, leaving at least 35 people dead and scores injured.
On September 17, 2014, the Supreme Court, following an appeal by Sayedee, commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment.
The convicted war criminal died on August 14, 2023 while undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) at the age of 83.