United News of Bangladesh

A young woman and her nine-month-old son, who died in a tragic case of murder-suicide perpetrated by the mother at their home in Sabekdanga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila, were laid to rest late Saturday night. The namaz-e-janaza of Kaniz Subrana Swarnali, 22, and her infant son Nazim Hossain was held at the Sabekdanga Dakhil Madrasa ground at around 11:00pm. They were later buried at the family graveyard at about 11:30pm. Earlier in the evening, the bodies were taken by ambulance to the gate of Jashore Central Jail, where Swarnali’s husband, Jewel Hasan Saddam—president of Bagerhat Sadar Upazila Chhatra League—was allowed to see them. Saddam has been imprisoned in Jashore Jail. Read More: Young mother drowns son before ending her own life in Bagerhat  Meanwhile, Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Golam Md Baten held a press briefing on Sunday afternoon regarding the issue of Saddam’s parole. He said that on Friday evening, Saddam’s maternal uncle Md Hemayet Uddin applied for parole release at the deputy commissioner’s residence. However, as Saddam is detained in Jashore Jail, the matter falls outside Bagerhat’s jurisdiction, and the family was advised to apply to the Jashore prison authorities. The deputy commissioner added that under the Parole Rules 2016, the district magistrate of the district where the prisoner was staying has the authority to decide on parole. Due to legal constraints, Saddam could not be released. He also expressed condolences over the deaths of the mother and child. Read More: Bangladesh Election:  EC reinstates 4 seats in Bagerhat, 5 seats in Gazipur In a separate press release issued on Sunday, the media cell of the Jashore Deputy Commissioner’s office said Saddam was transferred to Jashore Central Jail from Bagerhat Jail on December 15, 2025. The release stated that no formal application for parole had been submitted to either the Jashore District Magistrate or the Jashore Central Jail authorities following the deaths. The release, signed by Assistant Commissioner Ashish Kumar Das Swashakti, said that considering the family’s verbal request and humanitarian grounds, prison authorities arranged for Saddam to see the bodies of his wife and child at the jail gate after consulting higher authorities. Police said Swarnali allegedly drowned her infant son in a bucket of water before hanging herself at her residence on Friday afternoon. Family members said Swarnali had been married to Saddam for about five years and had been under severe mental stress while attempting to secure his release. Her brother, Shubho, said repeated failures to obtain her husband’s release had deeply affected her mental health. Swarnali was the daughter of Ruhul Amin Howlader, a district-level leader of the Jatiya Party.

A jailed Bangladesh Chhatra League leader was allowed to see the bodies of his wife and nine-month-old child for the last time at Jashore Central Jail on Saturday evening, after the bodies were brought to the prison under tight security. The man, Jewel Hasan Saddam, is currently in custody in several cases, jail authorities said. According to jail officials, Saddam was briefly taken inside the prison to view the bodies. He touched his wife and held his child in his arms for the first and last time, as he was born while he was in jail. The incident follows a tragic event in Bagerhat on Friday afternoon. Saddam’s wife, Kaniz Subarna Swarnali, and their nine-month-old child were found dead at their residence in Sabekdanga village of Bagerhat sadar upazila. Family members said Swarnali had been under severe mental stress due to her husband’s prolonged detention. They said she had made repeated efforts to secure his release but saw no progress, which left her deeply depressed. “In a state of extreme despair, Swarnali killed her infant child and later took her own life,” relatives claimed. Following the incident, police recovered the bodies and later sent them to Jashore Central Jail so that the jailed husband could see them once. Relatives also said that while in jail, Saddam would occasionally send notes to his wife, assuring her of his imminent release, which further added to her emotional strain. Jashore Central Jail Superintendent Abid Ahmed said Saddam was transferred to the jail on December 15 and has been detained there since in multiple cases. “Following the final viewing, Saddam was returned to his ward,” he said.