A final farewell at Jashore jail gate

As evening fell yesterday, an ambulance stopped at the gate of Jashore Central Jail, carrying the bodies of a young woman and her nine-month-old child.

There, their husband and father -- jailed Bagerhat Sadar Chhatra League President Jewel Hasan Saddam -- came to see them for one last time.

Earlier, Saddam’s family had applied for his release on parole but then had to arrange for the bodies to be taken to the jail gate.

The jail authorities said six family members were allowed in the jail gate area with the ambulance. 

Around 7:30pm, Saddam went to see his wife, Kaniz Suborna Swarnali, 22, and his only child Nazim.

Earlier in the day, police recovered the bodies of the mother and child. Swarnali was found hanging, while the child was lying lifeless on the floor at a house in Sabekdanga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila around noon.

After post-mortem at Bagerhat 250-bed District Hospital, the bodies were handed over to the family.

Speaking to reporters, Swarnali’s brother, Shubho, said his sister had married Saddam around five years ago. Saddam was arrested in Gopalganj following the fall of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, and had been charged in several cases.

“My sister had been mentally distressed since her husband’s imprisonment. She tried in many ways to secure his release… This caused severe mental stress and depression. Out of frustration, she drowned her nine-month-old child in a bucket of water and later took her own life,” he claimed.

Swarnali’s father, local Jatiya Party leader Ruhul Amin Howlader, said, “My daughter died by suicide. We do not want to blame anyone. We applied to receive the bodies of my daughter and grandson without delay. Now we will follow whatever decision the administration takes.”

Officer-in-Charge of Bagerhat Sadar Police Station Mohammad Masum Khan said a murder case had been filed over the death of the child.

“At this stage, whether the death of Swarnali was a murder or a suicide will be determined after the official autopsy report is received,” he said, adding that further legal steps would depend on the findings.

He also said issues related to the husband’s parole and other arrangements fall under the jurisdiction of the district magistrate, not the police.

Police said the autopsy report had not been received as of 9:00pm yesterday.