The New Nation - Internet Edition

Former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia being
consoled by the family members at her Cantonment residence
after she came to see the body of her mother. Banglar
Chokh

From left: The body of Taiyeba Majumder was flown to
Dhaka from Dinajpur yesterday. Tarique Rahman and Arafat
Rahman paying last respect to their grandmother after being
released on parole from the Dhaka Central Jail and BSMMU
respectively at their Cant

Staff Reporter

BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and her two sons were separately allowed under parole to see the body of her mother at their Dhaka Cantonment residence late yesterday afternoon.

The body of Khaleda's mother, Taieba Majumder, was earlier flown to Dhaka in an Air Force helicopter from Dinajpur where she breathed her last on Friday. Younger son of the deceased Flight Engineer Shamim Iskandar accompanied his mother's body.

The special arrangement was made reportedly on security grounds because it was difficult to take Begum Khaleda Zia and her two sons-Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko-who are under detention facing various corruption charges to Dinajpur to see the body of the deceased.

Khaleda Zia's younger son Koko was taken to the Cantonment residence at Mainul Road at 4:35pm and elder son Tarique Rahman at 5:55pm while Begum Khaleda Zia was moved there at 7:28pm and taken back. They did not see each other.

Begum Zia burst into tears when she saw the body of her mother. This created a heart rending scene. Later, Begum Zia spent some time there and talked to her relatives and partymen who were present there and enquired about their well being.

Later, Begum Zia, who was arrested on September 3 last year in connection with a corruption case, was sent back to sub-jail at 9:45pm.

The government has taken tight security measure to avert any untoward incident. Partymen and journalists were not allowed to go to Begum Zia's Cantonment residence.

Some BNP leaders, including Maj (Retd) Akhteruzzaman, Asaduzzaman Ripon, Habibunnabi Sohel, Abul Hossain Khan, Farida Yasmin and Babul Chowdhury, who earlier went to Begum Zia's house, were forced to leave the area before the arrival of Koko in the afternoon.

The first namaj-e-janaza of Tayeba Majumder was held at the premises of Begum Zia's Cantonment residence at 7:07pm. Tarique Rahman, among others, attended the namaj-e-janaza.

The second namaj-e-janaza was held at Gulshan Azad Jame Mosque at 9:00pm. Among others, BNP Secretary General Khondaker Delwar Hossain, Sayeed Iskandar, Nazrul Islam Khan, Rizvi Ahmed, attended the namaj-e-janaja.

Earlier, uncertainty was prevailing over holding her namaj-e-janaza at Gulshan Azad Jame Mosque as the schedule was being changed repeatedly. Huge number of BNP leaders and activists and political leaders were waiting there to attend her namaj-e-janaza from midday yesterday. The leaders include Speaker Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar, Deputy Speaker Akhter Hamid Siddiqui, Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Maj (Retd) Qamrul Islam, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Jamaat leaders-Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Mohammad Quamaruzzaman and Maulana Delwar Hossain Sayeedi.

The dead body was brought again to her Mainul Road residence to enable Begum Zia to see her mother's body for the last time.

The dead body has been taken to Dinajpur by road last night. The body is expected to be buried at the ancestral graveyard in Dinajpur beside her husband Iskandar Majumder today.